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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Under the pen-name HARUN YAHYA, the author has published many books on
political and faith-related issues. An important body of his work deals with the materi-
alistic world view and the impact of it in world history and politics. (The pen-name is
formed from the names 'Harun' [Aaron] and 'Yahya' [John] in the esteemed memory of
the two Prophets who struggled against infidelity.)
His works include The 'Secret Hand' in Bosnia, The Holocaust Hoax, Behind the
Scenes of Terrorism, Israel's Kurdish Card, A National Strategy for Turkey, Solution: The
Morals of the Qur'an, Darwin's Antagonism Against the Turks, The Evolution Deceit,
Perished Nations, The Golden Age, The Art of Colour by Allah, The Truth of the Life of
This World, Confessions of Evolutionists, The Blunders of Evolutionists, The Dark
Magic of Darwinism, The Religion of Darwinism, The Qur'an Leads the Way to Science,The Real Origin of Life, Miracles of the Qur'an, The Design in Nature, Self-Sacrifice and
Intelligent Behaviour Models in Animals, Eternity Has Already Begun, Children Darwin
Was Lying!, The End of Darwinism, The Creation of the Universe, Deep Thinking,
Timelessness and the Reality of Fate, Never Plead Ignorance, The Miracle of the Atom,
The Miracle in the Cell, The Miracle of the Immune System, The Miracle in the Eye, The
Creation Miracle in Plants, The Miracle in the Spider, The Miracle in the Ant, The
Miracle in the Gnat, The Miracle in the Honeybee.
Among his booklets are The Mystery of the Atom, The Collapse of the Theory of
Evolution: The Fact of Creation, The Collapse of Materialism, The End of Materialism,The Blunders of Evolutionists 1, The Blunders of Evolutionists 2, The Microbiological
Collapse of Evolution, The Fact of Creation, The Collapse of the Theory of Evolution in
20 Questions, The Biggest Deception in the History of Biology: Darwinism.
The author's other works on Quranic topics include: Ever Thought About the Truth?,
Devoted to Allah, Abandoning the Society of Ignorance, Paradise, The Theory of
Evolution, The Moral Values of the Qur'an, Knowledge of the Qur'an, Qur'an Index,
Emigrating for the Cause of Allah, The Character of Hypocrites in the Qur'an, The
Secrets of the Hypocrite, The Names of Allah, Communicating the Message and
Disputing in the Qur'an, The Basic Concepts in the Qur'an, Answers from the Qur'an,
Death Resurrection Hell, The Struggle of the Messengers, The Avowed Enemy of Man:
Satan, Idolatry, The Religion of the Ignorant, The Arrogance of Satan, Prayer in the
Qur'an, The Importance of Conscience in the Qur'an, The Day of Resurrection, Never
Forget, Disregarded Judgements of the Qur'an, Human Characters in the Society of
Ignorance, The Importance of Patience in the Qur'an, General Information from the
Qur'an, Quick Grasp of Faith 1-2-3, The Crude Reasoning of Disbelief, The Mature Faith,
Before You Regret, Our Messengers Say, The Mercy of Believers, The Fear of Allah, The
Nightmare of Disbelief, Prophet Isa Will Come, Beauties Presented by the Qur'an for
Life, The Iniquity Called "Mockery", The Secret of the Test, The True Wisdom According
to the Qur'an, The Struggle with the Religion of Irreligion, The School of Yusuf, TheAlliance of the Good, Slanders Against Muslims Throughout History, The Importance of
Following Good Word, Bouquet of the Beauties of Allah 1-2-3-4.
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Perished
Nations
HARUN YAHYA
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Copyright © Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. 1420 AH / 1999 CEFirst Published by Vural Yayıncılık, İstanbul, Turkey in February 1995
First English Edition published in April 1999Second English Edition published in October 1999
Third English Edition published in July 2000
Published by:
Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd.1 Wynne Road
London SW9 OBB
Website:http://www.taha.co.uk E-Mail:sales @ taha.co.uk
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrivial
system or transmitted in any form or by any methods, electronic, mechanical, photocopy-
ing, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers.
By Harun YahyaTranslated By: Mustapha AhmadEdited By: Abdassamad Clarke
A catalog Record of this sook is available from the British LibraryISBN 1 89794087 4
Printed and bound by:Secil Ofset in İstanbul
Address: Yüzyıl Mahallesi MAS-SIT Matbaacılar Sitesi4. Cadde No:77 Bağcılar- İstanbul / TURKEY
Website: http: // www.harunyahya.orgwww.harunyahya.com
www.harunyahya.net
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Preface
Introduction: Past Generations
Nuh’s Flood
The Prophet Ibrahim’s Life
The People of Lut and The City which was Turned Upside Down
The People of ‘Ad and Ubar, the Atlantis of the Sands
Thamud
Fir’awn Who Was Drowned
The People of Saba and the Arim Flood
The Prophet Sulayman and the Queen of Saba
Companions of the Cave
Conclusion
Notes
3
5
9
34
41
64
80
90
113
124
131
141
147
CONTENTS
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A llah creates man, and gives him a spiritual and physical form, lets
him lead a certain course of life, and then will take him into Hispresence by bringing about his death. Allah creates man and ac-
cording to the verse "Should He not know - He that created?" (Surat al-
Mulk: 14), He is the One Who knows and recognises him, who educates
him and meets his needs. Therefore, the only real purpose man has in li-
fe is to praise Allah, supplicate Him and worship Him. For the same re-
ason, the pure message, and the revelation of Allah communicated to pe-
ople through His messengers is the sole guidance for man.The Qur’an is the last book of Allah and His only unaltered revelation.
This is why we are responsible of assuming the Qur’an as our true gu-
ide, and of being extremely meticulous about all its judgements. This is
the only way for salvation both here in this world and beyond.
Therefore, we need to explore very carefully and attentively what the
Qur’an relates to us and contemplate it. In the Qur’an, Allah states that the
purpose of the Qur’an’s revelation is to lead people to think:
Here is a Message for mankind: Let them take warning therefrom, and letthem know that He is (no other than) One Allah: let men of understanding
take heed. (Surah Ibrahim: 52)
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These are some of the stories of communities which We relate unto
thee: of them some are standing, and some have
been mown down (by the sickle of time).
It was not We that wronged them: They wronged
Their own souls: the deities, other than Allah,
whom they invoked, profited them no whit
when there issued the decree of thy Lord:
Nor did they add aught (to their lot) but perdition!
(Surah Hud: 100-101)
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The news of previous peoples which constitutes a great part of the
Qur’an, is certainly one of the matters we ought to contemplate. A majo-
rity of these people rejected the prophets sent to them and, moreover, sho-
wed animosity towards them. Because of their audacity, they brought Al-lah’s wrath upon themselves and have been wiped off the face of the earth.
The Qur’an tells us that these cases of destruction should be a warning
for succeeding generations. For instance, right after the description of the
punishment given to a group of Jews who rebelled against Allah, it is said
in the Qur’an; "So We made it an example to their own time and to their
posterity, and a lesson to those who fear Allah."(Surat al-Baqara: 66)
In this book, we will review some past societies that have been destro-
yed because of their rebellion against Allah. Our purpose is to highlight allthese incidents, each of which is an "example to their own time", so that
they can set a "warning".
The second reason we are examining these destructions is to show the
manifestations of the verses of the Qur’an externally in the world and show
the authenticity of the Qur’an’s account. In the Qur’an, Allah certifies that
His verses are observable in the external world: "Praise be to Allah, Who
will soon show you His Signs, so that ye shall know them" (Surat an-Naml:93), and to know and identify them is one of the primary ways leading to
belief.
Nearly all the incidents of destruction related in the Qur’an have beco-
me "observable" and "identifiable" thanks to the current archive studies and
archaeological finds. In this study, we will deal with the traces of some of
the cases of destruction mentioned in the Qur’an. (It should be noted that
some of the communities related in the Qur’an have not been included in
the scope of this book, because in the Qur’an no specific time and placeis given for some of them, which are only described for their rebellious
conduct and antagonism towards Allah and His prophets, and for the di-
sasters that befell them as a result. Thus, people are summoned to derive
a warning from them)
Our purpose is to cast a light upon the realities of the Qur’an through
contemporary discoveries and thus show the truth of Allah’s religion to
everyone- both believers and unbelievers.
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T
he divine message, conveyed to the people by Allah through His
messengers, has been communicated to us since the creation of
man. Some societies have accepted the message while others ha-
ve denied it. Occasionally, a minority from a society which denied the mes-
sage followed a messenger.
But the majority of communities who have received the message have
not accepted it. They not only disregarded the message proclaimed by the
messenger, but also tried to do harm to the messenger and his followers.
The messengers were generally accused slanderously of "falsehood, magic,
insanity and conceit" and leaders of many peoples even sought to have
them murdered.
All that the prophets wanted from their people was their obedience to
Allah. They did not ask for money or any other worldly gain in return. Nor
did they try compel their people. What they did was only to invite their
people to the religion of truth and that they should start a different way of
life together with their followers apart from that community.
What has happened between Shu’ayb and the Madyan people to whom
he was sent, illustrates the aforementioned prophet-community relations-
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Past Generations
Hath not the story reached them of those before them?- the
People of Nuh, and 'Ad, and Thamud; the People of Ibrahim,
the men of Madyan, and the cities overthrown. To them came
their messengers with clear signs. It is not Allah Who wrongs them, but they wrong their own souls.
(Surat at-Tawba: 70)
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hip. The reaction of Shu’ayb’s tribe to Shu’ayb, who called them to believe
in Allah and give up the injustices they had been doing, and the way they
ended up are very interesting:
To the Madyan People (We sent) Shu’ayb, one of their own brethren: hesaid: "O my people! worship Allah: Ye have no other god but Him. And gi-
ve not short measure or weight: I see you in prosperity, but I fear for you
the penalty of a day that will compass (you) all round.
And O my people! give just measure and weight, nor withhold from the pe-
ople the things that are their due: commit not evil in the land with intent
to do mischief.
That which is left you by Allah is best for you, if ye (but) believed! but I
am not set over you to keep watch!"They said: "O Shu’ayb! Does thy (religion of) prayer command thee that we
leave off the worship which our fathers practiced, or that we leave off do-
ing what we like with our property? truly, thou art the one that forbeareth
with faults and is right-minded!"
He said: "O my people! see ye whether I have a Clear (Sign) from my Lord,
and He hath given me sustenance (pure and) good as from Himself? I wish
not, in opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you to do. I only desi-
re (your) betterment to the best of my power; and my success (in my task)can only come from Allah. In Him I trust, and unto Him I look.
And O my people! let not my dissent (from you) cause you to sin, lest ye
suffer a fate similar to that of the people of Nuh or of Hud or of Salih, nor
are the people of Lut far off from you! But ask forgiveness of your Lord,
and turn unto Him (in repentance): For my Lord is indeed full of mercy and
loving-kindness."
They said: "O Shu’ayb! much of what thou sayest we do not understand! In
fact among us we see that thou hast no strength! Were it not for thy family, we should certainly have stoned thee! for thou hast among us no great po-
sition!"
He said: "O my people! is then my family of more consideration with you
than Allah? For ye cast Him away behind your backs (with contempt). But
verily my Lord encompasseth on all sides all that ye do! And O my peop-
le! Do whatever ye can: I will do (my part): Soon will ye know who it is
on whom descends the penalty of ignominy; and who is a liar! and watch
ye! for I too am watching with you!" When Our decree issued, We saved Shu’ayb and those who believed with
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him, by (special) mercy from Ourselves: But the (mighty) blast did seize the
wrong-doers, and they lay prostrate in their homes by the morning,- As if
they had never dwelt and flourished there! Ah! Behold! How the Madyan
were removed (from sight) as were removed the Thamud! (Surah Hud: 84-95)
Devising to "stone Shu’ayb", who had done nothing but summon them
to goodness, the Madyan people were punished by the wrath of Allah and
they perished as described in the verses above. The Madyan people are
not the sole example. On the contrary, as Shu’ayb noted while talking with
his people, many previous communities before the Madyan people had pe-
rished. After Madyan, many other communities also were destroyed by Al-
lah’s wrath.
In the following pages, we will describe the aforementioned communi-
ties which perished and their remnants. In the Qur’an, these communities
are described in detail and people are invited to ponder on and take war-
ning from how these people ended up.
At this point, the Qur’an particularly draws attention to the fact that the
majority of the communities which perished had established high civilisa-
tions. In the Qur’an, this characteristic of the communities which perished
is stressed as follows;
But how many generations before them did We destroy (for their sins) -
stronger in power than they? Then did they wander through the land: was
there any place of escape (for them)? (Surah Qaf: 36)
In the verse, two characteristics of the peoples which perished are par-
ticularly emphasised. The first is their being "stronger in power". This con-
veys that the communities which perished had established disciplined andstrong military-bureaucratic systems and snatched power in the territory
they lived through force. The second point is that the aforementioned com-
munities founded big cities distinguished by their impressive architectural
characteristics.
It is noteworthy that both of these characteristics belong well to the cur-
rent civilisation, which has established an elaborate world-culture through
today’s technology and science, and has founded centralised states, hugecities, yet denies and ignores Allah, forgetting that all is made possible by
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His power. But, as it is said in the verse, the civilisations they established
could not save the communities which perished, since their civilisations
were based on the denial of Allah. The end of today’s civilisation will not
be different as long as it is based on denial and mischief on earth. A considerable number of the incidents of destruction, some of which
are related in the Qur’an, have been confirmed by archaeological research
made in modern times. These findings, which definitely prove that these
incidents cited in the Qur’an have occurred, elucidate the need to be "fo-
rewarned" which features so much in the Qur’anic anecdotes. Allah tells us
in the Qur’an that it is necessary to "travel through the earth" and "see what
was the end of those before us".Nor did We send before thee (as messengers) any but men, whom we did
inspire - (men) living in human habitations. Do they not travel through the
earth, and see what was the end of those before them? But the home of the
hereafter is best, for those who do right. Will ye not then understand?
(Respite will be granted) until, when the messengers give up hope (of the-
ir people) and (come to) think that they were treated as liars, there reac-
hes them Our help, and those whom We will are delivered into safety. But
never will be warded off our punishment from those who are in sin.There is, in their stories, instruction for men endued with understanding. It
is not a tale invented, but a confirmation of what went before it - a deta-
iled exposition of all things, and a guide and a mercy to any such as beli-
eve. (Surah Yusuf: 109-111)
Indeed, there are examples in the stories of past communities for peop-
le endowed with understanding. Having perished because of their rebelli-
on against Allah and their rejection of His commands, those communities
reveal to us how weak and impotent mankind are with respect to Allah. In
the following pages, we will examine these examples in a chronological
order.
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R eferred to in nearly all cultures, Nuh’s Flood is one of the instan-
ces most widely alluded in the Qur’an. The indifference of the
prophet Nuh’s people to his advice and warnings, their reactions
and how the event took place are told in detail in many verses.
The prophet Nuh was sent to warn his people who had turned away
from Allah’s verses and were associating partners with Him and to urgethem to worship Allah only and abandon their rebellion. Despite the mes-
senger Nuh advising his people many times to submit to Allah’s commands
and warning them of the wrath of Allah, they still denied him and conti-
nued associating partners with Allah. In Surat al-Mumenoon, how the affa-
ir developed is described as follows;
(Further, We sent a long line of prophets for your instruction). We sent Nuh
to his people: He said, "O my people! worship Allah! Ye have no other godbut Him. Will ye not fear (Him)?"
The chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "He is no more than
a man like yourselves: his wish is to assert his superiority over you: if Al-
lah had wished (to send messengers), He could have sent down angels; ne-
ver did we hear such a thing (as he says), among our ancestors of old."
(And some said): "He is only a man possessed: wait (and have patience)
with him for a time."
(Nuh) said: "O my Lord! help me: for that they accuse me of falsehood!"(Surat al-Mumenoon: 23-26)
As told in these verses, the chiefs of the community tried to accuse the
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We (once) sent Nuh to his people,
and he tarried among them a thousand years
less fifty: but the Deluge overwhelmed them
while they (persisted in) sin.
(Surat al-Ankaboot: 14)
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prophet Nuh of trying to assert his superiority over them, that is, of seeking
personal interests such as status, leadership and wealth, and they tried to
identify him as "possessed", and they decided to bear with him for a whi-
le, and keep him under pressure.Upon this, Allah told the messenger Nuh that those who rejected faith
and did wrong would be punished by drowning and that those who beli-
eved would be saved.
Indeed when the time of punishment came, waters and overflowing
springs burst from the ground and which, together with excessive rains, ca-
used a huge flood. Allah told Nuh to "take on board pairs of every speci-
es, male and female, and his family- except those of them against whomthe Word has already gone forth". All the people in that land were drow-
ned in water - including Nuh’s "son" who thought that he could be saved
by taking refuge in a nearby mountain. All were drowned except those
who embarked on the Ark with the prophet Nuh. When the waters abated
at the end of the Flood, and "the matter was ended", the Ark came to rest
on Judi - that is, on a high place - as the Qur’an informs us.
Archaeological, geological and historical studies show that this incidenttook place just as it is related in the Qur’an. The Flood is also very simi-
larly described in many records of past civilisations and in many historical
documents, although character and place-names vary, and "all that happe-
ned to an astray people" is presented to contemporary people as a war-
ning.
Apart from the Old and New Testaments, the account of the Flood is
told in a very similar manner in Sumerian and Assyrian-Babylonian records,in Greek legends, in the Shatapatha, Brahmana and Mahabharata epics of
India, in some Welsh legends of the British Isles, in the Nordic Edda, in Lit-
huanian legends and even in some Chinese-rooted stories.
How could such detailed and pertinent information be gathered from
such geographically and culturally distant lands, which are quite far from
each other and from the flood region?
The answer is clear: the fact that the same incident is related in the re-cords and inscriptions of all those communities which have little possibi-
lity of communicating with each other, is in fact a clear evidence that the-
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se people received knowledge from a divine source. It seems that the Flo-
od, one of the biggest and most destructive events in history, was narrated
by many prophets sent to various civilisations for the purpose of setting an
example. Thus news about the Flood has spread out to various cultures.Besides, despite being narrated in many cultures and religious sources,
the story of the Flood incident and of the prophet Nuh have been greatly
altered and so have diverged from the original version because of falsifica-
tion of sources, or incorrect transmission and maybe even wrong intenti-
ons. Research reveals that, among all the Flood narrations which relate ba-
sically the same event with various differences, the only consistent desc-
ription is the one in the Qur’an.
The Prophet Nuh and the Flood in the Qur’an
Nuh’s Flood is mentioned in many verses of the Qur’an. Below are fo-
und the verse arranged according to the sequence of events;
The Prophet Nuh’s Inviting His People to the
Religion of truth
We sent Nuh to his people. He said: "O my people! worship Allah! ye ha-
ve no other god but Him. I fear for you the punishment of a dreadful day!"
(Surat al-Araf: 59)
(Nuh:) "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust: So fear Allah, and obey
me. No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of
the Worlds: So fear Allah, and obey me." (Surat ash-Shuara: 107-110)
(Further, We sent a long line of prophets for your instruction). We sent Nuhto his people: He said, "O my people! worship Allah! Ye have no other god
but Him. Will ye not fear (Him)?" (Surat al-Mumenoon: 23)
The Prophet Nuh’s Warning His People Against the
Punishment of Allah
We sent Nuh to his People (with the Command): "Do thou warn thy Peop-
le before there comes to them a grievous Penalty." (Surah Nuh: 1)(Nuh:) "But soon will ye know who it is on whom will descend a penalty
that will cover them with shame - on whom will be unloosed a penalty las-
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ting" (Surah Hud: 39)
(Nuh:) "That ye serve none but Allah: Verily I do fear for you the penalty
of a grievous day." (Surah Hud: 26)
Denial of Nuh's People
The leaders of his people said: "Ah! we see thee evidently wandering (in
mind)." (Surat al-Araf: 60)
They said: "O Nuh! thou hast disputed with us, and (much) hast thou pro-
longed the dispute with us: now bring upon us what thou threatenest us
with, if thou speakest the truth!?" (Surah Hud: 32)
Forthwith he (starts) constructing the Ark: Every time that the chiefs of his
people passed by him, they threw ridicule on him. He said: "If ye ridicule
us now, we (in our turn) can look down on you with ridicule likewise!"
(Surah Hud: 38)
The chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "He is no more than
a man like yourselves: his wish is to assert his superiority over you: if Al-
lah had wished (to send messengers), He could have sent down angels; ne-
ver did we hear such a thing (as he says), among our ancestors of old."
(And some said): "He is only a man possessed: wait (and have patience)
with him for a time." (Surat al-Mumenoon: 24-25)
Before them the People of Nuh rejected (their messenger): they rejected
Our servant, and said, "Here is one possessed!", and he was driven out. (Su-
rat al-Qamar: 9)
Their Disregard of Those Who Followed the prophet Nuh
But the chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "We see (in) thee
nothing but a man like ourselves: Nor do we see that any follow thee butthe meanest among us, in judgment immature: Nor do we see in you (all)
any merit above us: in fact we think ye are liars!" (Surah Hud: 27)
They said: "Shall we believe in thee when it is the meanest that follow
thee?" He said: "And what do I know as to what they do? Their account is
only with my Lord, if ye could (but) understand. I am not one to drive away
those who believe. I am sent only to warn plainly in public." (Surat ash-
Shuara: 111-115)
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Allah’s Reminding Nuh Not to Grieve
It was revealed to Nuh: "None of thy people will believe except those who
have believed already! So grieve no longer over their (evil) deeds." (Surah
Hud, 36)
Prayers of the prophet Nuh
(Nuh:) "Judge Thou, then, between me and them openly, and deliver me
and those of the Believers who are with me." (Surat ash-Shuara: 118)
Then he called on his Lord: "I am one overcome: do Thou then help (me)!"
(Surat al-Qamar: 10)
(Nuh:) He said: "O my Lord! I have called to my People night and day: But
my call only increases (their) flight (from the Right)." (Surah Nuh: 5-6)
(Nuh) said: "O my Lord! help me: for that they accuse me of falsehood!"
(Surat al-Mumenoon: 26)
(In the days of old), Nuh cried to Us, and We are the best to hear prayer.
(Surat as-Saaffat: 75)
The Construction of the Ark
But construct an Ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration, and address Meno (further) on behalf of those who are in sin: for they are about to be
overwhelmed (in the Flood). (Surah Hud: 37)
The Destruction of the prophet Nuh’s People by Drowning
But they rejected him, and We delivered him, and those with him, in the
Ark: but We overwhelmed in the flood those who rejected Our signs. They
were indeed a blind people! (Surat al-Araf: 64)Thereafter We drowned those who remained behind. (Surat ash-Shuara:
120)
We (once) sent Nuh to his people, and he tarried among them a thousand
years less fifty: but the Deluge overwhelmed them while they (persisted in)
sin. (Surat al-Ankaboot: 14)
We saved him and those who adhered to him. By Our mercy, and We cut
off the roots of those who rejected Our signs and did not believe. (Surat al-
Araf: 72)
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The Destruction of the Prophet Nuh’s "Son"
The Qur’an relates a dialogue between Nuh and his son, in the early
stages of the Flood;
So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains, andNuh called out to his son, who had separated himself (from the rest): "O
my son! embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!" The son repli-
ed: "I will betake myself to some mountain: it will save me from the wa-
ter." Nuh said: "This day nothing can save, from the command of Allah, any
but those on whom He hath mercy!" And the waves came between them,
and the son was among those overwhelmed in the Flood. (Surah Hud: 42-
43)
Saving the Believers from the Flood
So We delivered him and those with him, in the Ark filled (with all creatu-
res). (Surat ash-Shuara: 119)
But We saved him and the companions of the Ark, and We made the (Ark)
a Sign for all peoples! (Surat al-Ankaboot: 15)
The Physical Nature of the Flood
So We opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring forth. And We ca-
used the earth to gush forth with springs, so the waters met (and rose) to
the extent decreed. But We bore him on an (Ark) made of broad planks
and caulked with palm-fibre: (Surat al-Qamar: 11-13)
At length, behold! there came Our command, and the fountains of the earth
gushed forth! We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two, male and fema-
le, and your family - except those against whom the word has already go-ne forth - and the Believers." but only a few believed with him.
So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains, and
Nuh called out to his son, who had separated himself (from the rest): "O
my son! embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!"(Surah Hud: 40-
42)
So We inspired him (with this message): "Construct the Ark within Our sight
and under Our guidance: then when comes Our Command, and the foun-
tains of the earth gush forth, take thou on board pairs of every species, ma-le and female, and thy family- except those of them against whom the Word
has already gone forth: And address Me not in favour of the wrong-doers;
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for they shall be drowned (in the Flood)." (Surat al-Mumenoon: 27)
The Resting of the Ark on a High Place
Then the word went forth: "O earth! swallow up thy water, and O sky! Withhold (thy rain)!" and the water abated, and the matter was ended. The
Ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word went forth: "Away with those who
do wrong!" (Surah Hud: 44)
The Instructional Aspect of the Flood Incident
We, when the water (of Nuh's Flood) overflowed beyond its limits, carried
you (mankind), in the floating (Ark), That We might make it a Message un-to you, and that ears (that should hear the tale and) retain its memory sho-
uld bear its (lessons) in remembrance. (Surat al-Haaqqa: 11-12)
Allah’s Praise of the Prophet Nuh
Peace and salutation to Nuh among the nations! Thus indeed do we reward
those who do right. For he was one of our believing Servants. (Surat as-Sa-
affat: 79-81)
Was the Flood a Local Disaster or was It Global?
Those who deny the reality of Nuh’s Flood, support their stance with
the assertion that a worldwide flood is impossible. However, their denial
of any flood whatsoever is also directed as an attack on the Qur’an. Accor-
ding to them, all the revealed books including the Qur’an, appear to de-
fend the reality of a worldwide flood and are thus mistaken. Yet this denial of the Qur’an is not true. The Qur’an was revealed by
Allah and is the sole unaltered divine book. The Qur’an looks at the Flo-
od from a very different viewpoint than do the Pentateuch and the other
flood legends narrated in various cultures. The Pentateuch, a name for the
first five books of the Old Testament, says that the flood was cosmic and
that it covered the whole world. Yet the Qur’an does not offer such as as-
sertion, indeed on the contrary, the relevant verses imply that the Flood
was regional and did not cover the whole world but only drowned Nuh’s
people who had been warned by Nuh and so were punished.
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When the Flood narrations of the Old Testament and the Qur’an are
examined, this difference is plain. The Old Testament, which has been sub-
ject to so many alterations and additions throughout its history that it can
truly be said that almost nothing of the original remains, describes how theFlood began as follows;
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it gri-
eved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I ha-
ve created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the cre-
eping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made
them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis, 6:5-8)However, in the Qur’an, it is clearly shown that it was not the whole
world, but only Nuh’s people who were destroyed. Just as Hud was sent
only to ‘Ad (Surah Hud: 50), Salih was sent to Thamud (Surah Hud: 61)
and all the other prophet prior to Muhammad were sent only to their own
peoples, Nuh was sent only to his people and the flood caused only Nuh’s
people to disappear;
We sent Nuh to his people (with a mission): "I have come to you with aClear Warning: That ye serve none but Allah: Verily I do fear for you the
penalty of a grievous day." (Surah Hud: 25-26)
Those who perished were people who totally disregarded Prophet
Nuh’s proclamation of the message and persisted on rebellion. Relevant
verses are explicit enough to leave no room for discussion:
But they rejected him, and We delivered him, and those with him, in the
Ark: but We overwhelmed in the flood those who rejected Our signs. They
were indeed a blind people! (Surat al-Araf: 64) We saved him and those who adhered to him. By Our mercy, and We cut
off the roots of those who rejected Our signs and did not believe. (Surat al-
Araf: 72)
Besides, in the Qur’an, Allah remarks that He does not destroy a com-
munity unless a messenger has been sent to it. Destruction can only take
place if a warner has already arrived among a particular people and the
warner is belied. Allah states in Surat al-Qasas;Nor was thy Lord the one to destroy a population until He had sent to its
centre a messenger, rehearsing to them Our Signs; nor are We going to
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However, it is evident that it is impossible even to collect all the animal
species living in that region. It is difficult to think of Nuh and a few num-
ber of believers beside him (Surah Hud: 40) going in all directions and set-
ting out to collect two each of hundreds of animal species in their surro-undings. It is even more highly improbable for them to have collected spe-
cimens of the insect species living in their region, and, moreover, to disc-
riminate the males from the female! This is the reason why it is more pro-
bable that the animals collected were those that could easily be caught and
sustained, and were, therefore, domestic animals especially useful to man.
The prophet Nuh was most likely to have taken on board such animals as
cows, sheep, horses, poultry camels and the like, because these were theprimary animals that would have been needed for establishing a new life
in a region which would have lost a great deal of its livestock because of
the Flood.
Here the important point is that the divine wisdom in Allah’s command
to Nuh to collect the animals lies in its being directed to the collecting of
the animals required for the new life to be established after the flood rat-
her than to protecting the genus of animals. Since the flood was regional,the extinction of animal species could not have been a possibility. It is
most likely that after the flood, animals from other regions would have
migrated to that area in the course of time, and re-populated the region
with its old liveliness. What was important was the life to be established
in the region right after the flood, and the animals gathered would have
been collected basically for this purpose.
How High Did the Waters Arise?
Another debate around the Flood is whether the waters rose high eno-
ugh to cover the mountains. As acknowledged, the Qur’an informs us that
the Ark came to rest on "al-Judi" after the flood. The word "Judi" is gene-
rally referred to as a specific mountain site, whereas the word appears to
mean "high setting or hill" in Arabic. Therefore it should not be forgotten
that in the Qur’an, "Judi" could have been used not as a name for a spe-cific mountain site but to indicate that the Ark had come to rest on a high
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site. Besides, the aforementioned meaning of the word "Judi" may also
show that the waters had reached to a certain height, but not as high as
mountaintop level. That is to say that the flood most probably did not en-
gulf the whole earth and all the mountains as described in the Old Testa-ment, but only covered a certain region.
The Location of Nuh’s Flood
The Mesopotamian Plains have been suggested as the location of the
Flood. In this region were the oldest civilisations known to history. Besi-
des, being between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this region geographi-
cally is a suitable setting for a great deluge. One of the contributory fac-
tors to the effect of the flood is most probably that these two rivers overf-
lowed their beds and overwhelmed the region.
The second reason why this region is regarded as the location for the
Flood is historical. In the records of many civilisations of the region many
documents are to be found referring to a flood that took place in the sa-
me period. Having witnessed the destruction of Nuh’s people, these civili-
sations must have felt the need to record how this disaster came about and
in what it resulted. It is known that most of the legends on the flood are
of Mesopotamian origin. More important to us are the archaeological finds.
These show that a big deluge did indeed once befall this region. As we
will examine in detail in the following pages, this flood caused civilisation
to be suspended for a period. In the excavations, apparent traces of such
an enormous disaster have been unearthed.
The excavations made in the Mesopotamian region disclose that many times in history, this region suffered from various disasters as a result of
deluges and the overflow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. For instance
around 2nd millennium BC, at the time of Ibbi-sin, ruler of the large nati-
on of Ur situated to the south of Mesopotamia, a year is marked as "co-
ming after a Flood that annihilated the borders between the heavens and
the earth"1 . Around 1700 BC, at the time of the Babylonian Hammurabi, a
year is marked as being that in which occurred the incident of "the ruiningof the city of Eshnunna with a deluge".
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In the 10th Century BC, at the time of the ruler Nabu-mukin-apal, a de-
luge occurred in the city of Babylon.2 After ‘Isa (Jesus), in the 7th, 8th, 10th,
11th, and 12th centuries, important deluges took place in the region. In the
20th Century, the same happened in 1925, 1930 and 1954.3 It is clear thatthe region has always been subject to the disaster of flooding and, as in-
dicated in the Qur’an, it is very likely that a massive flood could have dest-
royed an entire people.
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An illustration depicting Nuh’s Flood.
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Archaeological Evidence of the Flood
It is no coincidence that today we run into traces of most of the com-
munities which are said in the Qur’an to have been destroyed. Archaeolo-
gical evidence yields the fact that the more suddenly a community disap-
pears, the more likely it is that we will come across some of its remnants.
In the case of a civilisation suddenly disappearing, which can happen
as a result of a natural disaster, sudden emigration or war, the traces of this
civilisation can often be preserved much better. Houses in which people
lived and tools they once used in daily life are buried under the earth in a
short time. Thus these are preserved for quite long periods untouched by
human hand and they yield important evidence of the past when broughtinto daylight.
This is how a great deal of evidence for Nuh’s Flood has been uncove-
red in our day. Thought to have been occurred around the 3rd millenni-
um BC., the Flood put an end to a whole civilisation in a moment, and la-
ter caused a brand new civilisation to be established in its stead. Thus the
apparent evidence for the Flood has been preserved for thousands of ye-
ars so that we may take warning.Many excavations have been made in investigation of the flood which
covered the Mesopotamian plains. In excavations made in the region, in
four main cities there are found traces of what must have been a particu-
larly large flood. These cities were the important cities of Mesopotamia: Ur,
Erech, Kish and Shuruppak.
The excavations made in these cities reveal that all four of these were
subjected to a flood around the 3rd millennium BC.First let’s take a look at the excavations made in the city of Ur.
The oldest remains of a civilisation unearthed in the excavations made
in the city of Ur, which has been re-named "Tell al Muqqayar" in our day,
date back as far as 7000 BC. As one of the sites which has been home to
one of the earliest civilisations, the city of Ur has been a region of settle-
ments in which many cultures succeeded each other.
Archaeological findings from the city of Ur show that here civilisation was interrupted after an enormous flood, and that then new civilisations
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later emerged. R.H. Hall from the British Museum made the first excavati-
ons here. Leonard Woolley, who took upon himself to carry on with exca-
vations after Hall, also supervised an excavation organised collectively by
the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania. Excavations con-ducted by Woolley, which had a huge effect world-wide, lasted from 1922
to 1934.
Sir Woolley’s excavations took place in the middle of the desert betwe-
en Baghdad and the Persian Gulf. The first founders of the city of Ur we-
re a people who had come from North Mesopotamia and called themsel-
ves "Ubaidian". Excavations originally began to gather information on the-
se people. Woolley’s excavations are described by the German archaeolo-
gist Werner Keller as follows;
"The graves of the kings of Ur" - so Woolley, in the exuberance of his de-
light at discovering them, had dubbed the tombs of Sumerian nobles who-
se truly regal splendour had been exposed when the spades of the archa-
eologists attacked a fifty-foot mound south of the temple and found a long
row of superimposed graves. The stone vaults were veritable treasure
chests, for they were filled with all the costly goblets, wonderfully shaped
jugs and vases, bronze tableware, mother of pearl mosaics, lapis lazuli, and
silver surrounded these bodies which had mouldered into dust. Harps and
lyres rested against the walls. "Almost at once" he wrote later in his diary,
"discoveries were made which confirmed our suspicions. Directly under the
floor of one of the tombs of the kings we found in a layer of charred wo-
od ash numerous clay tablets, which were covered with characters of a
much older type than the inscriptions on the graves. Judging by the natu-
re of the writing, the tablets could be assigned to about 3000 BC. They we-re therefore two or three centuries earlier than the tombs".
The shafts went deeper and deeper. New strata, with fragments of jars,
pots, and bowls, kept appearing. The experts noticed that the pottery re-
mained surprisingly enough unchanged. It looked exactly like that which
had been found in the graves of the kings. Therefore, it seemed that for
centuries the Sumerian civilisation had undergone no radical change. They
must, according to the conclusion, have reached a high level of develop-
ment astonishingly early. When after several days some of Woolley’s workmen called out to him, "We
are on ground level", he let himself down onto the floor of the shaft to sa-
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tisfy himself. Woolley’s first thought was "This is it at last". It was sand, pu-
re sand of a kind that could only have been deposited by water.They decided to dig on and make the shaft deeper. Deeper and deeper
went the spades into the ground: three feet, six feet - still pure mud. Sud-
denly, at ten feet, the layer of mud stopped as abruptly as it had started.
Under this clay deposit of almost ten feet thick, they had struck fresh evi-
dence of human habitation. The appearance and quality of the pottery had
noticeably altered. Here, they were handmade. Metal remains were now-
here to be found. The primitive implement that did emerge was made of
hewn flint. It must belong to the Stone Age!The Flood - that was the only possible explanation of this great clay depo-
sit beneath the hill at Ur, which quite clearly separated two epochs of sett-
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According to archaeological finds, Nuh’s Flood took place on the Mesopotamian
plains. The plains had a different shape then. In the above diagram, the current
borders of the plains are denoted with a red cut line. The large section lying be-
hind the red line is known to have been a part of the sea at that time.
BABYLON
UR
BAGHDAD
N
FLOOD REGION
PERSIAN
GULF
M E S O P O T A
M I A
N P L A
I N
Tigris
Euphrates
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lement. The sea had left its unmistakable traces in the shape of remains of
little marine organisms embedded in the mud. 4
Microscopic analysis revealed that this great clay deposit beneath the
hill at Ur had accumulated here as a result of a flood so big as to annihi-late ancient Sumerian civilisation. The epic of Gilgamesh and the story of
Nuh were united in this shaft dug deep under the Mesopotamian desert.
Max Mallowan related the thoughts of Leonard Woolley, who said that
such a huge mass of alluvium formed in a single time slice could only be
the result of a huge flood disaster. Woolley also described the flood layer
that separated the Sumerian city of Ur from the city of Al-Ubaid whose in-
habitants used painted pottery, as the remains of the Flood.5
These show that the city of Ur was one of the places affected by the
Flood. Werner Keller expressed the importance of the aforementioned ex-
cavation by saying that the yield of city-remains beneath a muddy layer in
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The excavations made by Sir Leonard Woolley in the Mesopotamian plains disclosed
the presence of a mud-clay layer 2.5 m. deep in the earth. This mud-clay layer was
most probably formed by the clay masses carried by the flood waters and, in the whole
world, it only exists under the Mesopotamian plains. This discovery became an impor-tant piece of evidence proving that the Flood had only occurred on the Mesopotamian
plains.
P O S T - F L O O D
P E R I O D
C I V I L I Z A T I O N S
P R E - F L O O D
P E R I O D
C I V I L I Z A T I O N S
M U D L A Y E R
M E S O P O TA M I A N P L A I N
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the archaeological excavations made in Mesopotamia proves that there was
a flood here.6
Another Mesopotamian city carrying traces of the Flood is "Kish of the
Sumerians" which is now known as Tall Al-Uhaimer. According to ancientSumerian sources, this city was the "seat of the first postdiluvian dynasty"7
The city of Shuruppak in South Mesopotamia, which is today named as
Tall Fa’rah, likewise carries apparent traces of the Flood. Archaeological
studies in this city were headed by Erich Schmidt from the University of
Pennsylvania between 1920-1930. These excavations uncovered three la-
yers of habitation extending in time from the late prehistoric period to the
3rd dynasty of Ur (2112-2004 BC). The most distinctive finds were ruins of well-built houses along with cuneiform tablets of administrative records
and lists of words, indicating a highly developed society already in being
toward the end of the 4th millennium BC. 8
The main point is that a big flood disaster was understood to have oc-
curred in this city around 2900-3000 BC. According to Mallowan’s account,
4-5 metres below the earth, Schmidt had reached a yellow soil layer (for-
med by flood) made up of a mixture of clay and sand. This layer was clo-
ser to the plain level than the tumulus profile and it could be observed all
around the tumulus… Schmidt defined this layer made up of a mixture of
clay and sand, which remained from the time of Ancient Kingdom of Cem-
det Nasr, as "a sand with its origins in the river" and associated it with
Nuh’s Flood. 9
In the excavations made in the city of Shuruppak, the remains of a flo-
od were found that corresponded approximately to the years 2900-3000
BC. Probably, the city of Shuruppak was probably as much effected by
the flood as the other cities.10
The latest place which is shown to have been affected by the Flood is
the city of Erech to the south of Shuruppak which is known as Tall Al-War-
ka today. In this city just as in others, a flood layer is found. This flood la-
yer is dated between 2900-3000 BC just like the others. 11
As is well known, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers cut across Mesopota-
mia from one end to the other. It seems that, during the event, these two
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rivers and many other water resources, big and small, overflowed and, by
uniting with rain water, caused a big deluge. The event is described in the
Qur’an;
So We opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring forth. And We ca-used the earth to gush forth with springs, so the waters met (and rose) to
the extent decreed. (Surat al-Qamar: 11-12)
When the factors causing the Flood are examined one by one, it is se-
en that they are all very natural phenomena. What makes the event mira-
culous is their taking place at the same time and Nuh’s warning his peop-
le about such a disaster beforehand.
Assessment of the evidence obtained from the completed studies reve-aled that the Flood area stretches approximately 160 km. (in width) from
east to west, and 600 km. (in length) from north to south. This shows that
the Flood covered all the Mesopotamian plains. When we examine the or-
der of the cities Ur, Erech, Shuruppak and Kish which bear the traces of
the Flood, we see that these are lined along a route. Therefore, the Flood
must have affected these four cities and their surroundings. Besides it sho-
uld be noted that around 3000 BC, the geographical structure of the Meso-potamian plain was different from what it is now. At those times, the bed
of the Euphrates river was more to the east than it is today; this stream-li-
ne was matched with a line passing through Ur, Erech, Shuruppak and
Kish. With the opening of the "springs of the earth and heaven", it seems
that the river Euphrates overflowed and spread thus destroying the four ci-
ties cited above.
Religions and Cultures Mentioning the Flood
The Flood has been made known to nearly all peoples through the mo-
uth of prophets conveying the Religion of Truth, but it has been turned in-
to legends by those communities and been both extended and corrupted
on the way.
Allah has conveyed news of Nuh’s Flood to people through messengers
and books He has sent to different communities so that it may be a war-
ning and example. Yet, each time the texts have been altered from their
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originals, and the Flood descriptions have been expanded with mythologi-
cal elements. The Qur’an is the only remaining source that is in substanti-
al agreement with the findings of empirical observation. This is only beca-
use Allah has guarded the Qur’an from undergoing even a single changeand has not permitted it to be corrupted. According to the following judg-
ment of the Qur’an "We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and
We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)" (Surat al-Hijr: 9) the Qur’an
is under the special protection of Allah.
In the latest part of this chapter dealing with the Flood, we will see how
the incident is envisioned - though quite corrupted - in various cultures
and in the Old and New Testaments.
Nuh’s Flood in the Old Testament
The book in truth revealed to the prophet Musa was the Tawrah. Al-
most nothing at all of this revelation remains, and the biblical book, the
"Pentateuch", has long lost its connection to the original revelation over ti-
me. Even then most parts of that dubious entity have been altered by the
rabbis of the Jewish community. Similarly, the revelations all the other
prophets were sent with to the Children of Israel after the prophet Musa
were subject to the same behaviour and greatly altered. Therefore, this
characteristic, which calls us to rename it the "Altered Pentateuch" because
it has lost its connection to its original, drives us to regard it as a product
of human beings attempting to record their tribes’ history rather than a di-
vine book. Unsurprisingly, the nature of the Altered Pentateuch and the
contradictions it contains are well revealed in its telling of the story of Nuh
despite it having some parallelisms with the Qur’an in parts.
According to the Old Testament, God proclaimed Nuh that everybody
except the believers would be destroyed because the earth was full of vi-
olence. To this end, He commanded him to make the Ark and described
him in detail how to do it. He also told him to take along his family, his
three sons, his sons’ wives, two of every living thing and some provisions.
Seven days later, when the time for the Flood came, all the undergro-
und sources burst open, the window of the heavens opened and a big flo-
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od engulfed everything. This lasted for forty days and nights. The ship sa-
iled over waters covering all mountains and high hills. Thus those who we-
re on board with Nuh were saved and the rest were carried away by the
waters of the Flood and were drowned to death. The rain stopped after theFlood, which lasted for 40 days and 40 nights, and the waters started to re-
cede 150 days after that.
Thereafter, on the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ship ca-
me to rest on the Ararat (Agri) mountains. Nuh sent out a dove to see
whether the waters had fully receded or not and when finally the dove did
not come back, he understood that the waters had totally receded. God
told them to disembark from the ship and spread out on the earth.One of the contradictions in this story in the Old Testament is that, fol-
lowing this summary, in the "Yahwist" version of the text, it is said that God
commanded Nuh to take along seven of those animals, males and females,
He called "clean" and only pairs of those animals He called "unclean". This
contradicts with the text above. Besides, in the Old Testament, the durati-
on of the Flood is also different. According to the Yahwist account the ri-
sing of the waters took 40 days whereas it is said to be 150 days accordingto the account of the laymen.
Some parts of the Old Testament account of Nuh’s Flood are as follows;
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for
the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy
them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; .....
........And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to
destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life, from under heaven; [and]
every thing that [is] in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my
covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wi-
fe, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two
of every [sort] shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep [them] alive with thee;
they shall be male and female.....
......Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
(Genesis, 6: 13-22)
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the
month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (Genesis, 8: 4)
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his fe-
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male: and of beasts that [are] not clean by two, the male and his female. Of
fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed ali-
ve upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis, 7:2-3)
And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off
any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood
to destroy the earth. (Genesis, 9:11)
According to the Old Testament, in accordance with the verdict that
"every thing that [is] in the earth shall die" in a flood covering all the world,
all people were punished, and the only ones who survived were those
who embarked on the Ark with Nuh.
Nuh’s Flood in the New Testament
The New Testament we have today is not a Divine book in the real sen-
se of the word either. Being comprised of the words and deeds of ‘Isa (Je-
sus), the New Testament starts with four "Gospels" written up to one cen-
tury after ‘Isa by people who had never seen him or kept company with
him; namely, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There are very obvious cont-
radictions between these four Gospels. Particularly, the Gospel of John dif-
fers to a great extent from the other three (Synoptic Gospels) which are to
some degree, but not totally, compatible with each other. The other books
of the New Testament comprise the letters written by the Apostles and Sa-
ul of Tarsus (later called Saint Paul) describing the deeds of the apostles
After ‘Isa.
Therefore the New Testament of today is not a Divine text, but rather a
semi-historical book.
In the New Testament, Nuh’s Flood is briefly described as follows; Nuh
was sent as a messenger to a disobedient community who were astray, but
his people did not follow him and went on in their perverseness. Upon
this, Allah called those who rejected faith to account with the Flood and
saved Nuh and the believers by putting them on the Ark. Some chapters
of the New Testament related to the subject are as follows;
But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drin-king, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
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the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew, 24: 37-39)
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a pre-
acher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the un-
godly. (Second Peter, 2: 5)
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son
of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in
marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came,
and destroyed them all. (Luke, 17: 26-27)
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few,
that is, eight souls were saved by water. (First Peter, 3: 20)For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens
were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whe-
reby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. (Se-
cond Peter, 3: 5-6)
Accounts of the Flood in Other Cultures
Sumer: A god called Enlil told people that other gods intended to dest-
roy humanity, but that he himself was willing to save them. The hero of
the story is Ziusudra, the devotee king of the city of Sippur. God Enlil told
Ziusudra what to do to be saved from the Flood. The text relating the ma-
king of the boat is missing, but the fact that such a part once existed is re-
vealed in the parts in which it is told how Ziusudra is saved. Relying on
the Babylonian version of the flood, one reaches the conclusion that in the
complete Sumerian version of the event there must have been much mo-
re comprehensive details of the reason for the Flood and how the boat was
made.
Babylonia: Ut-Napishtim is the Babylonian counterpart of the Sumeri-
an hero of the Flood, Ziusudra. Another important character is Gilgamesh.
According to the legend, Gilgamesh decided to seek and find his ancestry
to obtain the secret of immortality. He was warned against the dangers and
difficulties of such a journey. He was told that he is supposed to make a
journey in which he should pass over the "Mashu Mountains and waters of
death"; and that such a journey had only been accomplished by the sun-
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god Shamash up until then. Still, Gilgamesh braved all the dangers of the
journey and finally succeeded in reaching Ut-Napishtim.
The text is cut off at the point where the meeting of Gilgamesh and Ut-
Napishtim is told; and when it next becomes legible, Ut-Napishtim said toGilgamesh that "the gods reserved the secret of death and life to themsel-
ves" (that they did not give it to people). Upon this, Gilgamesh asked Ut-
Napishtim how he had acquired immortality; and Ut-Napishtim told him
the story of the flood as a reply to his question. The flood is also told in
the famous "twelve tables" of the Gilgamesh epic.
Ut-Napishtim started by saying that the story he was about to tell Gil-
gamesh was "something secret, a secret of the gods". He said that he wasfrom the city of Shuruppak, the oldest among the cities of the Akkad land.
According to his account, the god "Ea" had called out to him through the
walls of a cane hut and declared that the gods had decided to destroy all
the seeds of life with a flood; but the reason of their decision was not exp-
lained in the Babylonian Flood account just as it had not been in the Su-
merian Flood story. Ut-Napishtim said that Ea had told him to make a ship
in which he should bring together and put the "seeds of all living things".
He informed him of the size and shape of the ship; according to it, the
width, length, and height of the ship were equal to each other. The storm
turned everything upside down for six days and nights. On the seventh day
it calmed down. Ut-Napishtim saw that on the outside, it had "turned into
sticky mud". The ship came to rest on Mt. Nisir.
According to Sumerian and Babylonian records, Xisuthros or Khasisat-
ra is saved from the Flood by a ship of 925 metres in length, along with
his family, friends, and some birds and animals. It is said that "the waters
outspread towards the heavens, the oceans covered the shores, and rivers
overflowed from their beds". The ship then came to rest on the Corydaean
mountain.
According to the Assyrian-Babylonian records, Ubar-Tutu or Khasisatra
was saved along with his family, servants, flocks and wild animals on a
ship which is 600 cubits long, 60 cubits high and wide. The Flood lasted
for 6 days and 6 nights. When the ship reached the Nizar Mountain, the
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dove that was set free came back but the raven did not.
According to some Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian records, Ut-Na-
pishtim with his family survived through the Flood which lasted for 6 days
and 6 nights. It is said: "On the seventh day Ut-Napishtim looked outside.It was all very quite. Man had once more turned to mud.". When the ship
came to rest on the Nizar mountain, Ut-Napishtim sent out one pigeon, one
raven and one sparrow. The raven stayed to eat the corpses, but the other
two birds did not return.
India: In the Shatapatha Brahmana and Mahabharata epics of India, the
person called Manu is saved from the flood along with Rishiz. According
to the legend, a fish which Manu caught and whose life he spared, sud-denly grew and told him to make a ship and tie it to its horns. This fish
was accepted to be a manifestation of the god Vishnu. The fish drove the
ship over huge waves, and brought it to the north, the Hismavat mounta-
in.
Wales: According to Welsh legend (from Wales, a Celtic region of Bri-
tain), Dwynwen and Dwyfach escaped from the great disaster on ship.
When the dreadful deluge that occurred from the bursting of Llynllion, which was called the Lake of Waves, subsided, Dwywen and Dwyfach star-
ted to repopulate Britain afresh.
Scandinavia: Nordic Edda legends report that Bergalmir and his wife
escaped from the flood in a big boat.
Lithuania : In Lithuanian legend, it is told that a few pairs of men and
animals were saved by taking shelter in a crust up on the top of a lofty
mountain. When the winds and floods that lasted for twelve days and twel-
ve nights reached to the high mountain so much as almost to swallow tho-
se on it, the Creator threw a giant nut shell to them. Those on the moun-
tain were saved from disaster by sailing in this nut shell.
China: Chinese sources relate that a person called Yao with seven ot-
her persons or Fa Li with his wife and children, were saved from the de-
luge and earthquakes on a sailing boat. It is said that "the earth was all in
ruins. The waters burst forth and covered everywhere". Finally, the waters
receded.
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Nuh's Flood in Greek Mythology: The god Zeus decided to destroy
people, who have become more wrongdoing every day, with a flood. Only
Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha were saved from the flood, because Deuca-
lion's father Prometheus had formerly advised his son to make a boat. Thecouple set foot on Mount Parnassos on the 9th day after embarking on the
boat.
All these legends indicate a concrete historical reality. In history, each
community received the message, everybody received Divine revelation,
and thus many communities learned about the Flood. Unfortunately, as pe-
ople turned away from the essence of the Divine revelation, the account
of the Flood underwent many changes, and turned into legends and myths.The only source where we can find the real story of Nuh and the peop-
le who denied him, is the Qur’an, which is the single unaltered source of
Divine revelation remaining.
The Qur’an provides us with correct information not only on Nuh’s
Flood, but also about other historical events and peoples. In the following
chapters, we will review these true stories.
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The prophet Ibrahim is often referred to in the Qur’an and is distin-
guished by Allah as an example to people. He conveyed the mes-sage of Allah to his people who worshipped idols and he warned
them so that they might fear Allah. His people did not listen to his warn-
ings but, on the contrary, opposed him. When the oppression of his peo-
ple increased, Ibrahim had to move elsewhere with his wife, the prophet
Lut and possibly a few other people who went with them.
Ibrahim was descended from Nuh. The Qur’an states also that he fol-
lowed the Way of Nuh.Peace and salutation to Nuh among the nations! Thus indeed do we reward
those who do right. For he was one of our believing Servants. Then the rest
we overwhelmed in the Flood. Verily among those who followed his Way
was Ibrahim. (Surat as-Saaffat: 79-83)
At the time of the prophet Ibrahim, many people living on the
Mesopotamian plains, and in Middle and East Anatolia were worshipping
the heavens and the stars. Their most important god was "Sin", the moon-
god. It was personified as a human with a long beard, wearing a dress car-
rying a moon on it in the shape of a crescent. In addition, these people
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Ibrahim was not a Jew nor yet a Christian;
but he was true in Faith,
and bowed his will to Allah's (Which is Islam),
and he joined not gods with Allah.Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Ibrahim, are
those who follow him, as are also this Prophet and those who believe: And
Allah is the Protector of those who have faith.
(Surah Aal-e Imran: 67-68)
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made embossed pictures and sculptures of these gods and worshipped
them. This was quite a widespread belief system which found appropri-
ate soil for itself in the Near East and thus maintained its existence for a
long time. People living in that region continued to worship these godsuntil around 600 AD. As a consequence of this belief, some constructions
known as "'ziggurats"' which were used both as observatories and tem-
ples, were built in the region stretching from Mesopotamia to the interior
of Anatolia and here some gods, primarily the moon-god "'Sin"', were wor-
shipped.12
This way of belief, only discovered in archaeological excavations
today, is to be found mentioned in the Qur’an. As mentioned in theQur’an, Ibrahim rejected the worship of these deities and turned only to
Allah, the one true God. In the Qur’an, Ibrahim's conduct is recounted as
follows;
Lo! Ibrahim said to his father Azar: "Takest thou idols for gods? For I see
thee and thy people in manifest error."
So also did We show Ibrahim the power and the laws of the heavens and
the earth, that he might (with understanding) have certitude.
When the night covered him over, He saw a star: He said: "This is my
Lord." But when it set, He said: "I love not those that set."
When he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: "This is my Lord." But
when the moon set, He said: "unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be
among those who go astray."
When he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: "This is my Lord; this is
the greatest (of all)." But when the sun set, he said: "O my people! I am
indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah.
For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the
heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah." (Surat al-
Anaam: 74-79)
In the Qur’an, the birthplace of Ibrahim and where he lived are not told
in detail. But it is indicated that Ibrahim and Lut lived close to each other
and were contemporaries, by the fact that the angels sent to the people of
Lut came to Ibrahim, and announced to his wife the good news of a child,
before going on to Lut. An important issue about Ibrahim in the Qur’an, not mentioned in the
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At the time of the prophet
Ibrahim, polytheistic religions
were prevalent in the
Mesopotamian region. The
moon-god, "Sin", was one of themost important deities. People
made statues of those gods and
worshipped them. On the left
Sin’s statues are seen. The cres-
cent figure can be clearly seen
on the statue’s chest.
The ziggurats, which were used
both as temples and astronomical
observatories, were constructions
made with the most advanced
techniques of the age. The stars,
the moon and the sun were the
primary objects of worship, and
therefore, the sky had great
importance. Left and below arethe important ziggurats of
Mesopotamia.
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Old Testament, is the construction of the Ka’bah. In the Qur’an, we are
told that the Ka’bah was constructed by Ibrahim and his son Isma'il.
Today, the only thing known by historians about the past of the Ka’bah is
that it is accepted to have been a sacred place since very old times. Theplacing of idols in the Ka’bah during the Age of Ignorance prior to the
prophet Muhammad, is a consequence of the degeneration and distortion
of the divine religion once revealed to Ibrahim.
Ibrahim According to the Old Testament
The Old Testament is probably the most detailed source on Ibrahim,
even though much of what it relates may be unreliable. According to its
account, Ibrahim was born around 1900 BC in the city of Ur, one of the
most important cities of the time, which was located in the southeast of
the Mesopotamia plains. When he was first born, Ibrahim was not named
''Abraham'', but ''Abram''. His name was changed by God - Jehovah
(YHWH) afterwards.
One day, the god of the Old Testament, Jehovah, asked Abram to set
out on a journey leaving his country and people, to go to an indefinite co-
untry and start a new community there. Abram, at the age of 75, listened
to this call and set out on the road with his barren wife Sarai - who will
later be known as ''Sarah'' which means princess - and his brother's son,
Lut. While heading for the Chosen Land, they stayed at Harran for a while,
and then continued on their journey. When they arrived in the land of
Canaan promised to them by Jehovah, they were told that this place was
specifically chosen for them and granted to them. When Abram turned
ninety-nine years old, he made a covenant with Jehovah and his name was
changed to Abraham. He died when he was one hundred and seventy-five
years old and was buried in the cave of Machpelah close to the city of
Hebron (el-Khalil) in the West Bank, today under occupation by Israel.
This land bought by Ibrahim for a certain sum of money, was his and his
family's first property in the Promised Land.
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Ibrahim's Place of Birth According
to the Old Testament
Where Ibrahim was born has always been an issue of debate. While
Christians and Jews say that Ibrahim was born in South Mesopotamia, the
prevalent thought in the Islamic world is that his place of birth is around
Urfa-Harran. Some new finds show that the Jewish and Christian thesis
does not reflect the truth completely.
Jews and Christians depend on the Old Testament for their assertion,
because in it, Ibrahim is said to have been born in the city of Ur in South
Mesopotamia. After Ibrahim was born and brought up in that city, he is
said to have set out on the way to Egypt and to have reached Egypt at the
end of a long journey in which he passed through the Harran region of
Turkey.
However, a recently found manuscript of the Old Testament generated
serious doubts about the validity of this information. In this Greek manu-
script from the 3rd century BC, which is accepted to be the oldest copy of
the Old Testament yet found, "Ur" is never mentioned. Today, many Old
Testament researchers say that the word of "Ur" is inaccurate or a subse-
quent addition. This implies that Ibrahim was not born in the city of Ur,
and may never have been to the Mesopotamian region in his life.
Besides, the names of some locations, and the regions they imply,
change by time. In our day, the Mesopotamia plains generally refer to the
south banks of the Iraqi land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Yet
two millennia before our day, Mesopotamia implied a region more north-
ernly, even reaching as far as Harran, and stretching into presentday
Turkish lands. Therefore, even if we accept that the expression
"Mesopotamian plain" in the Old Testament is right, it would be mislead-
ing to think that the Mesopotamia of two millennia earlier and the
Mesopotamia of today are exactly the same places.
Even if there are serious doubts and disagreements on the city of Ur
being Ibrahim’s birthplace, there is a common agreement on the fact that
Harran and its environs region was the place where Ibrahim lived.
Moreover, a short research made in the Old Testament itself yields some
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information supporting the view that Ibrahim's place of birth was Harran.
For instance, in the Old Testament, the region of Harran is designated as
the "Aram region" (Genesis, 11:31 and 28:10). It is stated that those who
came from Ibrahim's family are "sons of an Arami" (Deuteronomy, 26:5).The identification of Ibrahim as an Arami shows that he led his life in this
region.
In the Islamic sources, there is a strong evidence that Ibrahim's place of
birth is Harran and Urfa. In Urfa, which is called the "city of Prophets",
there are many stories and legends about Ibrahim.
Why was the Old Testament Altered?
The Old Testament and the Qur’an seem almost to describe two differ-
ent prophets called Abraham and Ibrahim. In the Qur’an, Ibrahim is sent
to an idolatrous people as a messenger. His people worship the heavens,
stars, the moon and various idols. He struggles against his people, tries to
get them turn away from their superstitious beliefs, and inevitably stirs up
the enmity of his whole community including his father.
Actually, none of these are mentioned in the Old Testament. The throw-
ing of Ibrahim into the fire, his breaking his community's idols are not
mentioned in the Old Testament. Ibrahim is in general depicted as the
ancestor of the Jews in the Old Testament. It is evident that this view in
the Old Testament was taken by the chiefs of the Jewish community seek-
ing to bring the concept of "'race"' to the foreground. The Jews believe that
they are a people eternally chosen by God and rendered superior. They
deliberately and willingly altered their Divine Book and made additions
and deletions in accordance with this belief. This is why Ibrahim is mere-
ly depicted as the ancestor of the Jews in the Old Testament.
Christians who believe in the Old Testament, think that Ibrahim is the
ancestor of the Jews, but with only one difference: according to Christians,
Ibrahim is not a Jew but a Christian. The Christians, who did not heed the
concept of race as much as Jews, took this stand and it is one of the caus-
es of disagreement and struggle between the two religions. Allah brings the
following explanation of these arguments in the Qur’an:
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Ye People of the Book! Why dispute ye about Ibrahim, when the Law and
the Gospel Were not revealed Till after him? Have ye no understanding?
Ah! Ye are those who fell to disputing (Even) in matters of which ye had
some knowledge! but why dispute ye in matters of which ye have noknowledge? It is Allah Who knows, and ye who know not!
Ibrahim was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and
bowed his will to Allah's (Which is Islam), and he joined not gods with
Allah.
Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Ibrahim, are those who
follow him, as are also this Prophet and those who believe: And Allah is
the Protector of those who have faith. (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 65-68)
In the Qur’an, very differently from what is written in the old Testament,Ibrahim is a person who warned his people so that they might fear Allah
and who struggled against them for this end. Starting from his youth, he
warned his people, who worshipped idols, to give up this practice. His
people reacted to Ibrahim by attempting to kill him. Having escaped from
the wickedness of his people, Ibrahim finally emigrated.
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L ut lived at the same time as Ibrahim. Lut was sent as a messenger
to one of Ibrahim's neighbouring communities. These people, asthe Qur’an tells us, practiced a perversion unknown to the world
up to then, namely sodomy. When Lut told them to give up this perver-
sion and brought them Allah's warning, they denied him, refused his
prophethood, and carried on with their perversion. In the end, these peo-
ple were destroyed by a dreadful disaster.
The city where Lut resided is referred to as Sodom in the Old
Testament. Being situated at the north of the Red Sea, this community isunderstood to have been destroyed just as it is written in the Qur’an.
Archaeological studies reveal that the city is located in the area of the Dead
Sea which stretches along the Israel-Jordan border.
Before examining the remains of this disaster, let’s see why the people
of Lut were punished in this fashion. The Qur’an tells how Lut warned his
people and what they said in reply;
The people of Lut rejected the messengers. Behold, their brother Lut said
to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)? I am to you a messenger worthy of all
trust. So fear Allah and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it: my
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The people of Lut rejected (his) warning. We sent against them
a violent Tornado with showers of stones, (which destroyed
them), except Lut's household: them We delivered by early Dawn,- As a Grace from Us: thus do We reward those who
give thanks. And (Lut) did warn them of Our Punishment, but
they disputed about the Warning. (Surat al-Qamar: 33-36)
And The City which was
Turned Upside Down
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reward is only from the lord of the Worlds. Of all the creatures in the world,
will ye approach males, And leave those whom Allah has created for you
to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!"
They said: "If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast out!"
He said: "I do detest your doings." (Surat ash-Shuara: 160-168)
The people of Lut threatened him in response to his inviting them to
the right way. His people detested him because of his showing them the
right way, and wanted to banish both him and the other believers beside
him. In other verses, the event is told as follows;
We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: "Do ye commit lewdness such as
no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practise your
lusts on men in preference to women : ye are indeed a people transgress-ing beyond bounds."
And his people gave no answer but this: they said, "Drive them out of your
city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!" (Surat al-Araf:
80-82)
Lut called his people to an obvious truth and warned them explicitly,
but his people did not heed any warnings whatsoever and continued to
reject Lut and to deny the penalty of which he told them.
And (remember) Lut: "Behold" he said to his people: "Ye do commit lewd-
ness, such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. Do ye
indeed approach men, and cut off the highway? And practise wickedness
(even) in your councils?" But his people gave no answer but this: they said:
"Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth." (Surat al-Ankaboot:
28-29)
Receiving the above answer from his people, Lut asked for the help of
Allah,He said: "O my Lord! help Thou me against people who do mischief!"
(Surat al-Ankaboot: 30)
"O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do!" (Surat
ash-Shuara: 169)
Upon Lut’s prayer, Allah sent two angels in the form of men. These
angels visited Ibrahim before coming to Lut. Giving Ibrahim the good news
that his wife would give birth to an infant, the messengers explained the
reason of their being sent: the insolent people of Lut were to be destroyed.(Ibrahim) said: "And what, O ye Messengers, is your errand (now)?" They
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said, "We have been sent to a people (deep) in sin; To bring on, on them,
(a shower of) stones of clay (brimstone), Marked as from thy Lord for those
who trespass beyond bounds." (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 31-34)
Excepting the adherents of Lut: them we are certainly (charged) to save(from harm) - All - Except his wife, who, We have ascertained, will be
among those who will lag behind. (Surat al-Hijr: 59-60)
After leaving Ibrahim’s company, the angels, who were sent as mes-
sengers, came to Lut. Not having met the messengers before, Lut first
became anxious, but then calmed down after talking to them;
When Our messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on their account and
felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: "This is a distressful day."
(Surah Hud: 77)He said: "Ye appear to be uncommon folk." They said: "Yea, we have come
to thee to accomplish that of which they doubt. We have brought to thee
that which is inevitably due, and assuredly we tell the truth. Then travel by
night with thy household, when a portion of the night (yet remains), and
do thou bring up the rear: let no one amongst you look back, but pass on
whither ye are ordered." And We made known this decree to him, that the
last remnants of those (sinners) should be cut off by the morning. (Surat al-
Hijr: 62-66)Meanwhile, his people had learned that Lut had visitors. They did not
hesitate to approach these visitors perversely as they had approached oth-
ers before. They encircled the house. Being afraid for his visitors, Lut
addressed his people as follows;
Lut said: "These are my guests: disgrace me not: But fear Allah, and shame
me not." (Surat al-Hijr: 68-69)
The people of Lut retorted;They said: "Did we not forbid thee (to speak) for all and sundry?" (Surat
al-Hijr: 70)
Thinking that he and his visitors subjected to evil treatment, Lut said:
"Would that I had power to suppress you or that I could betake myself to
some powerful support." (Surah Hud: 80)
His "visitors" reminded him that they were the messengers of Allah and
said;
(The Messengers) said: "O Lut! We are Messengers from thy Lord! By no
means shall they reach thee! now travel with thy family while yet a part of
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the night remains, and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will
remain behind): To her will happen what happens to the people. Morning
is their time appointed: Is not the morning nigh?" (Surah Hud: 81)
When the perversity of the city people reached its fullest extent, Allahsaved Lut by means of the angels. In the morning, his people were
destroyed by the disaster of which Lut had informed them in advance.
And they even sought to snatch away his guests from him, but We blinded
their eyes. (They heard:) "Now taste ye My Wrath and My Warning." Early
on the morrow an abiding Punishment seized them. (Surat al-Qamar: 37-
38)
The verses describe the destruction of this people as follows;
But the (mighty) Blast overtook them before morning, And We turned (thecities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked
clay. Behold! in this are Signs for those who by tokens do understand. And
the (cities were) right on the high-road. (Surat al-Hijr: 73-76)
When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained
down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer,-
Marked as from thy Lord: Nor are they ever far from those who do wrong!
(Surah Hud: 82-83)
But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but
heeded not)! : Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And
verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.(Surat ash-Shuara:
172-175)
When the people were destroyed, only Lut and the believers, who were
only as many as one "household", were saved. Lut’s wife did not believe
either and she was also destroyed.
We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: "Do ye commit lewdness such as
no people in creation (ever) committed before you?
For ye practise your lusts on men in preference to women : ye are indeed
a people transgressing beyond bounds."
And his people gave no answer but this: they said, "Drive them out of your
city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!"
But we saved him and his family, except his wife: she was of those who
legged behind.
And we rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): Then see what was
the end of those who indulged in sin and crime! (Surat al-Araf: 80-84)
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Thus, Prophet Lut was saved along with the believers and his family
with the exception of his wife. As described in the Old Testament, he emi-
grated with Ibrahim. As for the perverted people, they were destroyed and
their dwellings were razed to the ground.
"The Obvious Signs" in the Lake of Lut
The 82nd verse of Surah Hud clearly states the kind of disaster that
befell the people of Lut. "When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities)
upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay,
spread, layer on layer"
The statement of "turning (the cities) upside down" implies that the
region was totally destroyed by a violent earthquake. Accordingly, The
Lake of Lut, where the destruction took place, bears "obvious" evidence of
such a disaster.
We quote German archaeologist Werner Keller as follows;
Together with the base of this mighty fissure, which runs precisely through
this area, the Vale of Siddim, including Sodom and Gomorrah, plunged one
day into the abyss. Their destruction came about through a great earth-quake which was probably accompanied by explosions, lightning, issue of
natural gas and general conflagration. 13
As a matter of fact, the Lake of Lut, or the Dead Sea as it is otherwise
known, is located right on the top of an active seismic region, that is, an
earthquake zone:
The base of the dead sea is located with a tectonic rooted downfall. This
valley is located in a tension stretching between the Taberiye Lake in the
north, and mid of Arabah Valley in the south.14
The event was expressed as "we rained down on them brimstones hard
as baked clay, spread, layer on layer" in the last part of the verse. This is
in all probability meant to be the volcanic explosion that took place on the
banks of the Lake of Lut, and because of which the rocks and stones that
erupted were in a "baked form". (The same event is related in the 173rd
verse of Surat ash-Shuara as "We rained down on them a shower (of brim-
stone): and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but
heeded not)!")
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In relation to this subject, Werner Keller writes;
The subsidence released volcanic forces that had been lying dormant deep
down along the whole length of the fracture. In the upper valley of the
Jordan near Bashan there are still towering craters of extinct volcanoes;
great stretches of lava and deep layers of basalt have been deposited onthe limestone surface.15
These lava and basalt layers constitute the greatest evidence that a vol-
canic explosion and earthquake had once taken place here. The catastro-
phe depicted in the following expression as "we rained down on them
brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer" in the Qur’an most
probably points to this volcanic explosion, and Allah knows best. The
expression "When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside down"
which occurs in the same verse, must be referring to the earthquake which
caused volcanoes to erupt over the surface of the earth with devastating
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A satellite photograph of the region where the people of Lut lived.
PEOPLE OF LUT
Jerusalem
Dead SeaDead Sea
PEOPLE OF LUT
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impact, and to the fissures and debris brought by it, and only Allah knows
the truth of it.
The "obvious signs" conveyed by the Lake of Lut are indeed very inter-
esting. In general, the events which are related in the Qur’an take place in
the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt. Right in the middle of
these lands, is the Lake of Lut. The Lake of Lut, as well as the incidents
that have taken place around it, deserves attention geologically. The Lake
is approximately 400 metres below the surface of the Mediterranean. Since
the deepest place in the Lake is 400 metres, the bottom of the Lake is 800
metres below the surface of the Mediterranean. This is the lowest point on
the earth. In other areas which are lower than sea level, the depth is at
most 100 metres. Another property of the Lake of Lut is that the salt con-
tent of its water is very high, the density being nearly 30 %. Because of
this, no living organism, such as fish or moss, can survive in this lake. This
is why the Lake of Lut is called the "Dead Sea" in Western literature.
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Tel Aviv
The Mediterranean
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Photographs of the Lake of Lut
taken from satellite.
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The incident of Lut’s people, which is recounted in the Qur’an, occurred
around 1800 BC according to estimates. Based on his archaeological and
geological researches, the German researcher Werner Keller noted that thecities of Sodom and Gomorrah were in fact located in the Siddim Valley
which was the region at the furthest and lowest end of the Lake of Lut, and
that there were once big and widely inhabited sites in those regions.
The most interesting structural characteristic of the Lake of Lut is an evi-
dence showing how the disaster incidence recounted in the Qur’an took
place:
On the eastern shore of the Dead Sea the peninsula of el-Lisan protrudes
like a tongue far into the water. El-Lisan means "the tongue" in Arabic.
Unseen from the land the ground falls away here under the surface of the
water at a prodigious angle, dividing the sea into two parts. To the right of
the peninsula the ground slopes sharply down to a depth of 1200 feet. On
the left of the peninsula the water remains remarkably shallow. Soundings
taken in the last few years established depths of only fifty to sixty feet. That
extraordinary shallow part of the Dead Sea, from the peninsula el-Lisan to
the southernmost tip, was the Vale of Siddim.16
Werner Keller noted that this shallow part, which was discovered to
have formed subsequently, was the outcome of the aforementioned earth-
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The Lake of Lut, or Dead Sea as differently called.
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quake and the massive collapse this earthquake had caused. This was the
place where Sodom and Gomorrah were situated, that is, where Lut’s peo-
ple lived.
Once, it was possible to cross this region by walking. However, now,
the Vale of Siddim, where Sodom and Gomorrah were once situated, is
covered by the flat surface of the lower part of the Dead Sea. The collapse
of the base as a result of the dreadful catastrophe that came to pass in the
beginning of the 2nd millennium BC, caused salt water from the north to
flow into this recently formed cavity and filled the basin with salty water.
The traces of the Lake of Lut are visible… When one takes a rowing
boat across the Lake of Lut to the southernmost point, if the sun is shining
in the right direction, one sees something quite fantastic. Some distance
from the shore and clearly visible under the surface of the water, there are
the outlines of the forests which the extraordinarily high salt content of the
Dead Sea preserved. The trunks and roots in the shimmering green water
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On the left: an illustra-
tion showing the vol-
canic eruption and the
collapse that followedit, which caused the
whole people to disap-
pear.
Page across: a distant
view of the Lake of
Lut
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are very ancient. The Siddim valley, where these trees were once in blos-
som green foliage covered their twigs and branches, was one of the most
beautiful locations in the region.
The mechanical aspect of the disaster that befell people of Lut is
revealed by the researches of the geologists. These reveal that the earth-
quake which destroyed the people of Lut came about in consequence of
quite a long crack in the earth (a fault line), along the 190 kilometres dis-tance making up the bed of the River Sheri’at. River Sheri’at makes a fall
of 180 metres in total. Both this and the fact that the Lake of Lut is 400
metres below sea level are two important pieces of evidence showing that
an enormous geological event has taken place here.
The interesting structure of River of Sheri’at and the Lake of Lut make
up only a small part of the crack or split passing from this region of the
earth. The condition and length of this crack have only recently been dis-covered.
The fault starts from the outskirts of Mount Taurus, stretches to the
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An overhead view of
the mountains around
the Lake of Lut.
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Some of the remains of the city, which had slipped into the lake, were found on the banksof the lake. These remains showed that the people of Lut had quite a high standard of life.
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southern shores of the Lake of Lut and proceeds over the Arabian desertto the Gulf of Aqaba and continues across the Red Sea, ending up in Africa.
Along the length of it, strong volcanic activities are observed. Black basalt
and lava exist in the Galilee Mountains in Israel, high plain regions of
Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba and other areas nearby.
All these remains and geographical evidences show that a catastrophic
geological event took place in the Lake of Lut. Werner Keller writes,
Together with the base of this mighty fissure, which runs precisely throughthis area, the Vale of Siddim, including Sodom and Gomorrah, plunged one
day into the abyss. Their destruction came about through a great earth-
quake which was probably accompanied by explosions, lightning, issue of
natural gas and general conflagration. The subsidence released volcanic
forces that had been lying dormant deep down along the whole length of
the fracture. In the upper valley of the Jordan near Bashan there are still
towering craters of extinct volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep lay-
ers of basalt have been deposited on the limestone surface.17
National Geographic makes the following comment on December 1957;
The mount of Sodom, a barren wasteland, rises sharply above the dead sea.
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The destruction of the people of Lut has inspired many painters. An example is given
above.
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No one has ever found the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but
scholars believe that they stood in the Vale of Siddim across from these
cliffs. Possibly flood waters of the Dead Sea engulfed them following an
earthquake.18
Pompeii Had a Similar End
The Qur’an tells us in the following verses that there is no change in
Allah’s laws;
They swore their strongest oaths by Allah that if a warner came to them,
they would follow his guidance better than any (other) of the Peoples: But
when a warner came to them, it has only increased their flight (from right-
eousness) - On account of their arrogance in the land and their plotting of Evil, but the plotting of Evil will hem in only the authors thereof. Now are
they but looking for the way the ancients were dealt with? But no change
wilt thou find in Allah's way (of dealing): no turning off wilt thou find in
Allah's way (of dealing). (Surat al-Fatir: 42-43)
Yes, "no change will be found in Allah’s way (rules)". Everybody, who
stands against His laws and rebels against Him, is subject to the same
divine law. Pompeii, the symbol of the degeneration of the Roman Empire,
was also involved in sexual perversity. Its end was similar to that of the
people of Lut.
The destruction of Pompeii came by means of the eruption of the vol-
cano Vesuvius.
The volcano Vesuvius is the symbol of Italy, primarily the city of Naples.
Remaining silent for the last two millennia, Vesuvius is named the
"Mountain of Warning". It is not without cause that Vesuvius is known as
such. The disaster that befell Sodom and Gomorrah is very similar to the
disaster that destroyed Pompeii.
To the right of Vesuvius lies Naples and to the east lies Pompeii. The
lava and ash of a huge volcanic eruption, that happened two millennia
ago, caught the inhabitants of that city. The disaster happened so sudden-
ly that everything in the town was caught in the middle of its everyday life
and remains today exactly as it was two millennia ago. It is as if the time
had been frozen.
The removal of Pompeii from the face of the earth by such a disaster
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Above is a picture representing the luxury and prosperity of the city of
Pompeii before the disaster.
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was not purposeless. The historical record shows
that the city was exactly a center of dissipation and
perversity. The city was marked by a rise in prosti-
tution to such an extent that even the number of brothels was not known. Male organs in their origi-
nal sizes were hung on the doors of the brothels.
According to this tradition, rooted in Mithraic belief,
sexual organs and sexual intercourse should not be
hidden but displayed openly.
But the lava of Vesuvius wiped the whole city off
the map in a single moment. The most interestingaspect of the event is that nobody escaped despite
the terrible violence of the eruption of Vesuvius. It is
almost like they did not even notice the catastrophe,
as if they were charmed. A family eating their meal
were petrified right at that moment. Numerous pet-
rified couples were found in the act of intercourse.
The most interesting thing is that there were couplesof the same sex and couples of young boys and girls.
The faces of some of the petrified human corpses
unearthed from Pompeii were unharmed. The gen-
eral expression on those faces was bewilderment.
Here lies the most incomprehensible aspect of
the calamity. How did thousands of people wait to
be caught by death without seeing and hearing any-thing?
This aspect of the event shows that the disap-
pearance of Pompeii was similar to the destructive
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On the next page are petrified
corpses unearthed in excavations
made in Pompeii.
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events mentioned in the Qur’an, because the Qur’an particularly points to
"sudden annihilation" while relating these events. For example, the "inhab-
itants of the city" described in Surah Ya-seen died all at once in a single
moment. The situation is told as follows in the 29th. verse of the surah;It was no more than a single mighty Blast, and behold! they were (like
ashes) quenched and silent.
In the 31st verse of Surat al-Qamar, again the "instantaneous annihila-
tion" is emphasised when the destruction of Thamud is recounted;
For We sent against them a single Mighty Blast, and they became like the
dry stubble used by one who pens cattle.
The death of the people of Pompeii took place instantaneously as just
as the events recounted in the above verses.
Despite all these, things have not changed much where Pompeii once
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Other exam-
ples of petri-
fied human
corpses uncov-ered among
the remains of
Pompeii.
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stood. The districts of Naples where debauchery prevails do not fall short
of those licentious districts of Pompeii. The Island of Capri is a base where
homosexuals and nudists reside. The Island of Capri is represented as a"Homosexual paradise" in tourist commercials. Not only on Capri and in
Italy, but in nearly all the world, a similar moral degeneration is at work
and people insist on not learning from the awful experiences of past peo-
ples.
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Some other examples of petrified human corpses uncovered at Pompeii.
The picture on the left is a very good example of how instantanous the
disaster was.
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A nother people who were destroyed and who are mentioned in
various Surah of the Qur’an is ‘Ad, who are mentioned after the
people of Nuh. Being sent to ‘Ad, Hud summoned his people, just
like all the other prophets had done, to believe in Allah without ascribing
partners to Him and to obey him, the prophet of that time. The people
reacted to Hud with animosity. They accused him of imprudence, untruth-
fulness, and attempting to change the system their ancestors had estab-
lished.
In Surah Hud, all that passed between Hud and his people is told in
detail;
To the Ad People (We sent) Hud, one of their own brethren. He said: "O
my people! worship Allah! ye have no other god but Him. (Your other
gods) ye do nothing but invent!
O my people! I ask of you no reward for this (Message). My reward is from
none but Him who created me: Will ye not then understand?
And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repen-tance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain, and add strength
to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!"
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And the 'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious Wind,
exceedingly violent;
He made it rage against them seven nights and eight days
in succession: so that thou couldst see the (whole) people
lying prostrate in its (path),
as they had been roots of hollow palm-trees tumbled
down!
Then seest thou any of them left surviving?
(Surat al-Haaqqa: 6-8)
And Ubar, The Atlantis of the Sands
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They said: "O Hud! No Clear (Sign) that hast thou brought us, and we are
not the ones to desert our gods on thy word! Nor shall we believe in thee!
We say nothing but that (perhaps) some of our gods may have seized thee
with imbecility."
He said: "I call Allah to witness, and do ye bear witness, that I am free
from the sin of ascribing, to Him, Other gods as partners! so scheme (your
worst) against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in
Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He hath
grasp of its fore-lock. Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.
If ye turn away,- I (at least) have conveyed the Message with which I was
sent to you. My Lord will make another people to succeed you, and you
will not harm Him in the least. For my Lord hath care and watch over all
things."
So when Our decree issued, We saved Hud and those who believed with
him, by (special) Grace from Ourselves: We saved them from a severe
penalty.
Such were the Ad People: they rejected the Signs of their Lord and
Cherisher; disobeyed His messengers; And followed the command of
every powerful, obstinate transgressor.
And they were pursued by a Curse in this life - and on the Day of
Judgment. Ah! Behold! for the 'Ad rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah!
Behold! removed (from sight) were 'Ad the people of Hud! (Surah Hud:
50-60)
Another Surah mentioning ‘Ad is Surat ash-Shuara. In this Surah, some
characteristics of ‘Ad are emphasised. According to this, ‘Ad were a peo-
ple who "build a landmark on every high place" , and its members "get
for themselves fine buildings in the hope of living therein (for ever)".
Besides, they did mischief and behaved brutally. When Hud warned hispeople, they commented that his words were "a customary device of the
ancients". They were very confident that nothing would happen to them;
The 'Ad (people) rejected the messengers.
Behold, their brother Hud said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)?
I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust:
So fear Allah and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward
is only from the Lord of the Worlds.
Do ye build a landmark on every high place to amuse yourselves? And do
ye get for yourselves fine buildings in the hope of living therein (for ever)?
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And when ye exert your strong hand, do ye do it like men of absolute
power?
Now fear Allah, and obey me.
Yea, fear Him Who has bestowed on you freely all that ye know.
Freely has He bestowed on you cattle and sons,
And Gardens and Springs.
Truly I fear for you the Penalty of a Great Day."
They said: "It is the same to us whether thou admonish us or be not among
(our) admonishers!
This is no other than a customary device of the ancients, And we are not
the ones to receive Pains and Penalties!"
So they rejected him, and We destroyed them. Verily in this is a Sign: but
most of them do not believe.
And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful. (Surat ash-
Shuara: 123-140)
The people who showed animosity to Hud and rebelled against Allah,
were indeed destroyed. A horrible sandstorm annihilated ‘Ad as if they had
"never existed".
The Archaeological Finds of the City of Iram
At the beginning of 1990, there appeared press-releases in the well-
known newspapers of the world declaring "Fabled Lost Arabian city
found", "Arabian city of Legend found", "The Atlantis of the Sands, Ubar".
What rendered this archaeological find more intriguing was the fact that
this city was also referred to in the Qur’an. Many people who, since then,
thought that ‘Ad recounted in the Qur’an were a legend or that their loca-
tion could never be found, could not conceal their astonishment at this dis-
covery. The discovery of this city, which was only mentioned in oral sto-
ries of Bedouins, awoke great interest and curiosity.
It was Nicholas Clapp, an amateur archaeologist, who found this leg-
endary city mentioned in the Qur’an.19 Being an Arabophile and a winning
documentary film maker, Clapp had come across a very interesting book
during his research on Arabian history. This book was Arabia Felix written
by the English researcher Bertram Thomas in 1932. Arabia Felix was the
Roman designation for the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which
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today includes Yemen and much of Oman. The Greeks called this area
"Eudaimon Arabia" and medieval Arab scholars called it "Al-Yaman as-
Saida". 20
All of these names mean "Fortunate Arabia", because the people living
in that region in old times were known to be the most fortunate people of their time. Well, what was the reason for such a designation?
Their good fortune was in part due to their strategic location - serving
as middlemen in the spice trade between India and places north of the
Arabian peninsula. Besides, the people living in this region produced and
distributed "frankincense", an aromatic resin from rare trees. Being highly
favoured by the ancient communities, this plant was used as a fumigant in
various religious rites. In those times, the plant was at least as valuable asgold.
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The remains of the city of Ubar, where 'Ad lived, were found somewhere
near to the coasts of Oman
'Ad
Oman
Yemen
Saudi Arabia
Iraq Iran
THE PEOPLE OF 'AD
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Many works of art and monuments of high civilisation were once erected in
Ubar in accordance with the Qur'an's account. Today, only the above remains
are left.
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The English researcher Thomas described these "lucky" tribes at lengthand claimed that he found the traces of an ancient city founded by one of
these tribes.21This was the city known as "Ubar" by the bedouins. In one
of the trips he made to the region, the bedouins living in the desert had
shown him well-worn tracks and stated that these tracks led toward the
ancient city of Ubar. Thomas, who showed great interest in the subject died
before being able to complete his research.
Clapp, who examined what the English researcher Thomas wrote, wasconvinced of the existence of the lost city described in the book. Without
losing much time, he started his research.
Clapp tried two ways to prove the existence of Ubar. First, he found the
tracks which the Bedoins said existed. He applied to NASA to provide the
satellite images of the area. After a long struggle, he succeeded in per-
suading the authorities to take the pictures of the region.22
Clapp went on to study the ancient manuscripts and maps in theHuntington library in California. His aim was to find a map of the region.
After a short research, he found one. What he found was a map drawn by
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Excavations made in Ubar
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The location of the city of ‘Ad was discovered by photographs taken from the Space
Shuttle. On the photograph, the place where caravan trails intersect is marked, and it points towards Ubar.
1. Ubar, could only be seen from space before excavations were made.
2. A city 12 metres below the sands was uncovered by excavations.
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the Greek-Egyptian geographer Ptolemy in 200 AD. In the map was shown
the location of an old city found in the region and the ways that led to this
city.
Meanwhile, he received the news that the pictures had been taken by NASA. In the pictures, some caravan trails became visible which were dif-
ficult to identify with the naked eye, but could only be seen as a whole
from the sky. Comparing these pictures with the old map he had in hand,
Clapp finally reached the conclusion he was looking for: the trails in the
old map corresponded with the trails in the pictures taken from the satel-
lite. The final destination of these trails was a broad site understood to
have once been a city.Finally, the location of the legendary city which had been subject of the
stories told orally by the bedouins was discovered. After a short while,
excavations began and remains of an old city started to be uncovered
under the sands. Thus, this lost city was described as "the Atlantis of the
Sands, Ubar".
Well, what was it that proved this city to be the city of the people of
‘Ad mentioned in the Qur’an?Right from the moment remains started to be unearthed, it was under-
stood that this ruined city belonged to ‘Ad and Iram’s pillars mentioned in
the Qur’an, because among the structures unearthed were the towers par-
ticularly referred to in the Qur’an. A member of the research team leading
the excavation, Dr. Zarins said that since the towers were alleged to be the
distinctive feature of Ubar, and since Iram was mentioned as having tow-
ers or pillars, this then was the strongest proof so far that the site they hadunearthed was Iram, the city of ‘Ad described in the Qur’an. The Qur’an
mentions Iram as follows;
Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the 'Ad (people),-
Of the (city of) Iram, with lofty pillars,
The like of which were not produced in (all) the land? (Surat al-Fajr: 6-8)
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The People of ‘Ad
So far, we have seen that Ubar could possibly be the city of Iram men-
tioned in the Qur’an. According to the Qur’an, the inhabitants of the city
did not listen to the prophet Hud, who had brought a message to them
and who warned them, and so they perished.
The identity of ‘Ad who found the city of Iram has also created much
debate. In historical records, there is no mention of a people having such
a developed culture or of the civilisation they established. It might be
thought quite strange that the name of such a people is not found in his-
torical records.
On the other hand, it shouldn’t be so surprising not to come across the
presence of these people in the records and archives of old civilisations.
The reason for that is that these people lived in South Arabia, which was
a region distant from other people living in the Mesopotamia region and
the Middle East, and which only had a restricted relationship with them. It
was a common situation for a state, which is scarcely known, not to be
recorded in the historical records. On the other hand, it is possible to hear
stories among people in the Middle East about ‘Ad.
The most important reason why ‘Ad have not been mentioned in the
written records is that written communication was not common in the
region at that time. Therefore, it is possible to think that ‘Ad founded a
civilisation but this civilisation had not been mentioned in the historical
records of those other civilisations that kept documentation. If this culture
had existed a little longer, maybe much more would be known about these
people in our day.There is no written record of ‘Ad, but it is possible to find important
information about their "descendants" and to have an idea about ‘Ad in the
light of this information.
Hadramites, the Descendants of ‘Ad
The first place to be looked at while searching for the traces of a prob-
able civilisation established by ‘Ad or their descendants, is South Yemen,
where "The Atlantis of the Sands, Ubar" is found and which is referred to
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as "Fortunate Arabia". In South Yemen, four peoples have existed before
our time who are named "Fortunate Arabs" by the Greeks. These are the
Hadramites, Sabaeans, Minaeans and Qatabaeans. These four peoples
reigned for a while together in territories close to each other.Many contemporary scientists say that ‘Ad entered into a period of
transformation and then re-appeared on the stage of history. Dr. Mikail H.
Rahman, a researcher at the University of Ohio, believes that ‘Ad are the
ancestors of the Hadramites, one of the four peoples who lived in South
Yemen. Appearing around 500 BC, The Hadramites are the least known
among the people called "Fortunate Arabs". These people reigned over the
region of South Yemen for a very long time and disappeared totally in 240
AD at the end of a long period of decline.
The name of Hadrami hints that those may be the descendants of ‘Ad.
The Greek writer Pliny, living at the 3rd century BC, referred to this tribe
as "Adramitai" - meaning the Hadrami.23 The termination of the Greek
name is a noun-suffix, the noun being "Adram" which immediately sug-
gests that it is a possible corruption of "Ad-i Iram" mentioned in the Qur’an.
The Greek geographer Ptolemy (150-100 AD) shows the south of the
Arabian Peninsula as the place where the people called "Adramitai" lived.
This region has been known by the name of "Hadhramaut" until recently.
The capital city of the Hadrami State, Shabwah, was situated at the west of
the Hadhramaut Valley. According to many old legends, the tomb of the
prophet Hud, who was sent as a messenger to ‘Ad, is in Hadhramaut .
Another factor which tends to confirm the thought that the Hadramites
are a continuation of ‘Ad, is their wealth. The Greeks defined the
Hadramites as the "richest race in the world…". Historical records say that
the Hadramites had gone very far in the agriculture of "frankincense", one
of the most valuable plants of the time. They had found new areas of usage
for the plant and widened its usage. The agricultural production of the
Hadramites was much higher than production of this plant in our day.
What has been found in the excavations made in Shabwah, which is
known to have been the capital city of the Hadramites, is very interesting.
In these excavations which started in 1975, it was extremely difficult for
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archaeologists to reach the remains of the city due to the deep sand dunes.
The finds obtained by the end of the excavations were astonishing;
because the uncovered ancient city was one of the most overwhelmingly
interesting found until then. The walled town that was revealed was of alarger extent than of any other ancient Yemeni site and its palace was
remarked to be a truly magnificent building
Doubtless, it was very logical to suppose that the Hadramites had inher-
ited this architectural superiority from their forerunners, ‘Ad. Hud said to
the people of ‘Ad while warning them;
Do ye build a landmark on every high place to amuse yourselves? And do
ye get for yourselves fine buildings in the hope of living therein (for ever)?
(Surat ash-Shuara: 128-129)
Another interesting characteristic of the buildings found at Shabwah
was the elaborate columns. The columns that were at Shabwah seemed to
be quite unique in being round and arranged in a circular portico, where-
as all other sites in Yemen so far had been found to have square mono-
lithic columns. The people of Shabwah must have inherited the architec-
tural style of their ancestors, ‘Ad. Photius, a Greek Byzantine Patriarch of
Constantinople in the 9th. Century AD, made vast research on the Southern
Arabs and their commercial activities because he had access to the old
Greek manuscripts no longer extant in our day, and particularly the book
of Agatharachides (132 BC), Concerning the Erythraean (Red) Sea. Photius
said in one of his articles; "It is said that they (South Arabians) have built
many columns covered in gold or made of silver. Spaces between these
columns are remarkable to behold" 24
Although the above statement of Photius does not directly refer to the
Hadramites, it does give an idea of the affluence and building prowess of
the people living in the region. Greek classical writers Pliny and Strabo
describe these cities as "adorned with beautiful temples and palaces".
When we think that the owners of these cities were the descendants of
‘Ad, it is clearly understood why the Qur’an defines the home of ‘Ad as
"the city of Iram, with lofty pillars" (Surat al-Fajr: 7).
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The Springs and the Gardens of ‘Ad
Today, the landscape that someone, who travels to Southern Arabia,
would most frequently come across is the vast desert. Most of the places,
with the exception of the cities and regions that have been later afforest-
ed, are covered with sand. These deserts have been there for hundreds and
maybe thousands of years.
But in the Qur’an, an interesting information is given in one of the vers-
es recounting ‘Ad. While warning his people, Prophet Hud draws their
attention to the springs and gardens with which Allah had endowed them;
Now fear Allah, and obey me. Yea, fear Him Who has bestowed on you
freely all that ye know. Freely has He bestowed on you cattle and sons,- And Gardens and Springs. Truly I fear for you the Penalty of a Great Day.
(Surat ash-Shuara: 131-135)
But as we have noted before, Ubar, which has been identified with the
city of Iram, and any other place which is likely to have been the residence
of ‘Ad, is totally covered with desert today. So, why did Hud use such an
expression while warning his people?
The answer is hidden in the climatic changes of history. Historical
records reveal that these areas which have turned into desert now, had
once been very productive and green lands. A great part of the region was
covered with green areas and springs as told in the Qur’an, less than a few
thousand years ago, and the people of the region made use of these
endowments. The forests softened the harsh climate of the region and
made it more habitable. Deserts existed, but did not cover such a vast area
as today.
In Southern Arabia, important clues have been acquired in the regions
where ‘Ad lived, which could cast a light upon this subject. These show
that the inhabitants of that region used a highly developed irrigation sys-
tem. This irrigation most probably served a single purpose: agriculture. In
those regions, which are not appropriate for life today, people once culti-
vated the land.
Satellite imaging had also revealed an extensive system of ancient
canals and dams used in irrigation around Ramlat as Sab’atayan which is
estimated to have been able to support 200,000 people in the associated
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cities.25 As Doe, one of the researchers conducting the research, said; "So
fertile was the area around Ma’rib, that one might conceive that the whole
region between Ma’rib and Hadhramaut was once under cultivation." 26
The Greek classical writer Pliny had described this region as being very fertile, and mist-covered with forested mountains, rivers and unbroken
tracts of forests. In the inscriptions found in some ancient temples close to
Shabwah, the capital city of the Hadramites, it was written that animals
were hunted in this region and that some were sacrificed. All these reveal
that this region was once covered with fertile lands as well as desert.
The speed with which the desert can encroach can be seen in some
recent research done by the Smithsonian Institute in Pakistan where anarea known to be fertile in the middle ages has turned into sandy desert,
with dunes 6 metres high, the desert being found to expand on average 6
inches a day. At this speed, the sands can swallow even the highest build-
ings, and cover them as if they had never existed. Thus excavations at
Timna in Yemen in the 1950’s have been almost completely covered up
again. The Egyptian pyramids were also entirely under sands once and
were only brought to light after very long-lasting excavations. Briefly, it is very clear that regions known to be desert today could have had different
appearances in the past.
How were ‘Ad ruined?
In the Qur’an, ‘Ad are said to have perished through a "furious wind".
In the verses, it is mentioned that this furious wind lasted for seven nights
and eight days and destroyed ‘Ad totally.The 'Ad (people) (too) rejected (Truth): then how terrible was My Penalty
and My Warning? For We sent against them a furious wind, on a Day of vio-
lent Disaster, Plucking out men as if they were roots of palm-trees torn up
(from the ground). (Surat al-Qamar: 18-20)
And the 'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious Wind, exceedingly violent.
He made it rage against them seven nights and eight days in succession: so
that thou couldst see the (whole) people lying prostrate in its (path), as
they had been roots of hollow palm-trees tumbled down! (Surat al-Haaqqa:6-7)
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Though warned previously, the people had paid no attention to the
warnings whatsoever and continuously refused their messengers. They
were in such delusion that they could not even understand what was hap-
pening when they saw the destruction approaching them and continued
with their denial.
Then, when they saw the (Penalty in the shape of) a cloud traversing the
sky, coming to meet their valleys, they said, "This cloud will give us rain!".
Nay, it is the (Calamity) ye were asking to be hastened!- A wind whereinis a Grievous Penalty! (Surat al-Ahqaf : 24)
In the verse, it is stated that the people saw the cloud that would bring
them calamity, but could not understand what it was and thought that it
was a rain cloud. This is an important indication as to how the calamity
was as it drew near to the people, because a cyclone proceeding along
whipping up the desert sand also seems like a rain cloud from a distance.
It is possible that ‘Ad were deceived by this appearance and did not noticethe calamity. Doe gives a description of these sand storms (which seems
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Today, the region where ‘Ad lived is full of sand dunes.
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to be from personal experience); "The first sign (of a dust or sandstorm) is
an approaching wall of dust-laden air which may be several thousand feet
in height lifted by the strong rising currents and stirred by a fairly strong
wind." 27
Thought to be the remains of ‘Ad, "the Atlantis of the Sands, Ubar" has
been recovered from under a layer of sand metres thick. It seems that the
furious wind lasting for "seven nights and eight days" by the Qur’an’s
description, accumulated tons of sand on top of the city and buried peo-
ple under the earth alive. Excavations made in Ubar point to the same pos-
sibility. The French magazine, Ça M’Interesse states the same as follows
"Ubar was buried under a sand of 12 metres thickness as a result of astorm"28
The most important evidence showing that ‘Ad were buried by a sand
storm, is the word "ahqaf" used in the Qur’an to signify the location of ‘Ad.
The description used in the 21st verse of Surat al-Ahqaf is as follows;
Mention (Hud) one of 'Ad's (own) brethren: Behold, he warned his people
about the winding Sand-tracts: but there have been warners before him and
after him: "Worship ye none other than Allah: Truly I fear for you the
Penalty of a Mighty Day."
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The excavations made in Ubar where the remains of a city was recovered from under a
layer of sand metres thick. In this region, it is very well known that a catastrophic sandstorm can cause a huge amount of sand to accumulate in a very short time. This can
happen suddenly, and in a very unexpected way.
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Ahqaf means "sand dunes" in Arabic and it is the plural form of the
word "hiqf" which means a "sand dune". This shows that ‘Ad lived in a
region full of "sand dunes", which provided the most logical ground pos-
sible for the fact that they were buried by a sand storm. According to oneinterpretation, ahqaf lost its meaning of "sand hills" and became the name
of the region in south Yemen where ‘Ad lived. This does not change the
fact that the root of this word is sand dunes, but just shows that this word
has since become peculiar to this area because of the abundant sand dunes
in the region.
The destruction that befell ‘Ad from a sand storm which "plucked out
men as if they were roots of palm-trees torn up (from the ground)", musthave annihilated the entire people in a very short time, people who were
until then living by cultivating fertile lands and building dams and irriga-
tion channels for themselves. All of the fertile and cultivated fields, irriga-
tion canals and dams of the community living there were covered by sand,
and the whole city and its inhabitants were buried alive under the sand.
After the people were destroyed, desert spread there in time and covered
them leaving no trace. As a consequence, it can be said that historical and archaeological finds
indicate that ‘Ad and the city of Iram existed and were destroyed as
described in the Qur’an. By later research, the remains of these people
have been recovered from the sands.
What one should do in looking at those remains buried in the sands, is
to take warning just as the Qur’an stresses. The Qur’an states that ‘Ad went
astray of the right path because of their arrogance and said "Who is supe-rior to us in strength?". In the rest of the verse, it is said "What! did they
not see that Allah, Who created them, was superior to them in strength?"
(Surah Fussilat: 15)
What a person has to do is bear this unchangeable fact in mind all the
time and understand that the greatest and the most honoured is always
Allah and that one can only prosper by adoring Him.
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A
s stated in the Qur’an, Thamud rejected the warnings of Allah just
as ‘Ad did and perished in consequence. Today, as a result of
archaeological and historical studies, many previously unknownthings have been brought into daylight, such as the location where
Thamud lived, the houses they made and their life-styles. The Thamud
mentioned in the Qur’an, are a historic fact confirmed by many archaeo-
logical finds today.
Before looking at these archaeological finds related to Thamud, it is
useful to examine the story in the Qur’an and to look over the struggle of
these people with their prophet. As the Qur’an is a book addressing alltimes, Thamud’s denial of the warnings coming to them is an incident
which is itself a warning to people of all ages.
The prophet Salih’s conveyance of the message
In the Qur’an, it is mentioned that Salih was sent to Thamud to warn
them. Salih was a recognised person within Thamud society. His people,
who did not expect him to proclaim the religion of truth, were surprisedby his calling on them to abandon their deviation. Their first reaction was
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The Thamud (also) rejected (their) Warners. For they said:
"What! a man! a Solitary one from among ourselves! shall we follow such
a one? Truly should we then be straying in mind, and mad!"
"Is it that the Message is sent to him,
of all people amongst us? Nay, he is a liar, an insolent one!"
Ah! they will know on the morrow, which is the liar,
the insolent one! (Surat al-Qamar:, 23-26)
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to slander and condemn him;
To the Thamud People (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren. He said:
"O my people! Worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him. It is He Who
hath produced you from the earth and settled you therein: then ask for-
giveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord is (always)
near, ready to answer."
They said: "O Salih! thou hast been of us! a centre of our hopes hitherto!
dost thou (now) forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshipped? But
we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which thou
invitest us." (Surah Hud: 61-62)
A small part of the community complied with Salih’s call, but most of
them did not accept what he told. The leaders of the community in par-ticular denied Salih and took an antagonistic stand towards him. They tried
to impede those who believed Salih and tried to oppress them. They were
enraged at Salih, because he called them to worship Allah. This rage was
not specific only to Thamud; Thamud were repeating the mistake made by
the people of Nuh and by Ad’ who had lived before them. This is why the
Qur’an refers to these three communities as follows,
Has not the story reached you, (O people!), of those who (went) before
you? - of the people of Prophet Nuh, and 'Ad, and Thamud? - And of those
who (came) after them? None knows them but Allah. To them came mes-
sengers with Clear (Signs); but they put their hands up to their mouths, and
said: "We do deny (the mission) on which ye have been sent, and we are
really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which ye invite us."
(Surah Ibrahim: 9)
Despite the prophet Salih’s warnings, the people still went on overcome
by doubts. But still, there was a group who believed in the prophethoodof Salih – and those were the ones who were saved along with Salih when
the great catastrophe came. The leaders of the community tried to oppress
the group believing in Salih;
The leaders of the arrogant party among his people said to those who were
reckoned powerless - those among them who believed: "know ye indeed
that Salih is a messenger from his Lord?" They said: "We do indeed believe
in the revelation which hath been sent through him." The Arrogant party
said: "For our part, we reject what ye believe in." (Surat al-Araf: 75-76)
Thamud still continued in doubt regarding Allah and the prophethood
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of Salih. Moreover, a certain group openly denied Salih. A group among
those who rejected faith - supposedly in the name of Allah - made plans
to kill Salih.
They said: "Ill omen do we augur from thee and those that are with thee".He said: "Your ill omen is with Allah; yea, ye are a people under trial."
There were in the city nine men of a family, who made mischief in the
land, and would not reform. They said: "Swear a mutual oath by Allah that
we shall make a secret night attack on him and his people, and that we
shall then say to his heir (when he seeks vengeance): 'We were not present
at the slaughter of his people, and we are positively telling the truth.'" They
plotted and planned, but We too planned, even while they perceived it not.
(Surat an-Naml: 47-50)To see whether his people would follow Allah’s commands, Salih
showed them a female camel as a trial. To see whether they would obey
him or not, he told his people to share their water with this female camel
and not to harm her. His people reacted by killing the camel. In Surat ash-
Shuara, the events are described as follows;
The Thamud (people) rejected the messengers.
Behold, their brother Salih said to them: "Will you not fear (Allah)?
I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust.
So fear Allah, and obey me.
No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the
Worlds.
Will ye be left secure, in (the enjoyment of) all that ye have here?
Gardens and Springs,
And corn-fields and date-palms with spathes near breaking (with the
weight of fruit)?
And ye carve houses out of (rocky) mountains with great skill.
But fear Allah and obey me;
And follow not the bidding of those who are extravagant,
Who make mischief in the land, and mend not (their ways)."
They said: "Thou art only one of those bewitched!
Thou art no more than a mortal like us: then bring us a Sign, if thou tellest
the truth!"
He said: "Here is a she-camel: she has a right of watering, and ye have a
right of watering, (severally) on a day appointed.
Touch her not with harm, lest the Penalty of a Great Day seize you."
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But they ham-strung her: then did they become full of regrets. (Surat ash-
Shuara: 141-157)
The prophet Salih’s struggle with his people is told as follows in Surat
al-Qamar:The Thamud (also) rejected (their) Warners.
For they said: "What! a man! a Solitary one from among ourselves! shall we
follow such a one? Truly should we then be straying in mind, and mad!
Is it that the Message is sent to him, of all people amongst us? Nay, he is a
liar, an insolent one!"
Ah! they will know on the morrow, which is the liar, the insolent one!
For We will send the she-camel by way of trial for them. So watch them,
(O Salih), and possess thyself in patience! And tell them that the water is to be divided between them: Each one's
right to drink being brought forward (by suitable turns).
But they called to their companion, and he took a sword in hand, and ham-
strung (her). (Surat al-Qamar: 23-29)
The fact that they were not punished at that very moment, increased the
insolence of these people more. They attacked Salih, criticised him and
accused him of being a liar .
Then they ham-strung the she-camel, and insolently defied the order of their Lord, saying: "O Salih! bring about thy threats, if thou art a messenger
(of Allah)!" (Surat al-Araf: 77)
Allah rendered the plans and stratagems of the unbelievers feeble and
saved Salih from the hands of those who wanted to do him harm. After
this event, seeing that he had proclaimed the message to his people in
many different ways and that still nobody took the advice to heart, Salih
told his people that they would be destroyed in three days;But they did ham-string her. So he said: "Enjoy yourselves in your homes
for three days: (Then will be your ruin): (Behold) there a promise not to
be belied!" (Surah Hud: 65)
Sure enough, three days later, Salih’s warning came true and the
Thamud were destroyed.
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The (mighty) Blast overtook the wrong-doers, and they lay prostrate intheir homes before the morning - As if they had never dwelt and flourished
there. Ah! Behold! For the Thamud rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah!
Behold! removed (from sight) were the Thamud! (Surah Hud: 67-68)
Archaeological Finds about Thamud
Of those peoples mentioned in the Qur’an, Thamud are some of the
people about whom we have the most extensive knowledge today.Historical resources reveal that a people called Thamud indeed existed.
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From the Qur’an,
it is understood
that Thamud were
the descendants
of ‘Ad. In agree-
ment with that,
archaeological
finds show that
the roots of
Thamud, who
lived in the north
of the Arabian
Peninsula, goback to South
Arabia where ‘Ad
had once lived.
Damascus
A l - H i j r
Ubar
H a d h
r a m a u t
H i d j a z
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The community of al-Hijr mentioned in the Qur’an are thought to be the
same people as Thamud. The other name of Thamud is Ashab al-Hijr. So,
the word "Thamud" is the name of a people, while the city of al-Hijr is one
of those cities founded by these people. The Greek geographer Pliny’sdescriptions agree with this. Pliny wrote that Domatha and Hegra were the
locations where Thamud resided, and this latter makes up the city of Hijr
today.29
The oldest sources known referring to Thamud, are the victory annals
of the Babylonian King, Sargon II (8th Century BC), who defeated these
people in a campaign in northern Arabia. The Greeks also refer to this peo-
ple as "Tamudaei", i.e. "Thamud", in the writings of Aristo, Ptolemy, andPliny.30 Before the Prophet Muhammad, approximately between 400-600
AD, they totally disappeared.
In the Qur’an, ‘Ad and Thamud are always mentioned together.
Moreover, the verses advise Thamud to take warning from the destruction
of ‘Ad. This shows that Thamud had detailed information on ‘Ad.
To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren: He said:
"O my people! worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him" (Surat al-Araf:
73)
"And remember how He made you inheritors after the 'Ad people and gave
you habitations in the land: ye build for yourselves palaces and castles in
(open) plains, and care out homes in the mountains; so bring to remem-
brance the benefits (ye have received) from Allah, and refrain from evil and
mischief on the earth." (Surat al-Araf: 74)
As understood from the verse, there is a relationship between ‘Ad and
Thamud, and ‘Ad may even have been a part of Thamud’s history and cul-ture. Salih ordered Thamud to remember the example of ‘Ad and to take
warning from them.
‘Ad were shown the example of Nuh’s people who had lived before
them. Just as ‘Ad had a historical importance for Thamud, Nuh’s people
also had an historical importance for ‘Ad. These people were aware of
each other and possibly came from the same lineage.
However, the places where ‘Ad and Thamud lived were geographically quite far from each other. There does not seem to be a relationship
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The Nabataeans, which was an Arab tribe, had
established a kingdom in the Rum Valley in
Jordan. In this place, also called the Valley of
Petra, it is possible to see the best examples of
the stone-carving work of these people. Also in
the Qur’an, Thamud are mentioned with their
mastery of masonry. However, today, what is
left of both of these communities is some
remains that give us an idea of the art of that
time. In the pictures, various examples of the
stone-carving work in Petra Valley are seen.
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And remember how He
made you inheritors after
the 'Ad people and gave
you habitations in the
land: ye build for your-
selves palaces and cas-
tles in (open) plains, and
carve out homes in the
mountains; so bring toremembrance the bene-
fits (ye have received)
from Allah, and refrain
from evil and mischief
on the earth.
(Surat al-Araf: 74)
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between these two communities; so why is it said in the verse addressed
to Thamud for them to remember ‘Ad?
The answer reveals itself after a short investigation. The geographical
distance between the ‘Ad and Thamud is deceptive. Historical sourcesreveal that there is indeed a very strong connection between Thamud and
‘Ad. Thamud knew ‘Ad, because these two peoples most likely came from
the same origin. Britannica Micropaedia writes about these people as fol-
lows under the title of "Thamud".
In ancient Arabia, tribe or group of tribes that seem to have been promi-
nent. Although the Thamud probably originated in Southern Arabia, a large
group apparently moved northward at an early date, traditionally settling
on to the slopes of Jabal (Mount) Athlab. Recent archaeological work has
revealed numerous Thamudic rock writings and pictures not only on Jabal
Athlab, but also throughout Central Arabia.31
A script graphically similar to the Smaitic alpabet (called Thamudic) has
been found in southern Arabia and up throughout the Hidjaz.32 The script
was first identified in a region in north central Yemen that is known as
Thamud, which is bound to the north by the Rub’al Khali, to the south by
the Hadramaut and to the west by Shabwah.Before, we had seen that ‘Ad were a people living in South Arabia. It is
very significant that some remains of Thamud were found in the region
where ‘Ad had lived, especially around the region where the Hadramites,
the descendants of ‘Ad, lived and where their capital city stood. This situ-
ation explains the ‘Ad-Thamud relationship noted in the Qur’an. This rela-
tionship is explained as follows in the prophet Salih’s words when he said
that Thamud came to replace ‘Ad.To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren:
He said: "O my people! worship Allah: ye have no other god but Him..."
(Surat al-Araf : 73)
And remember how He made you inheritors after the 'Ad people and gave
you habitations in the land (Surat al-Araf: 74)
Briefly, Thamud paid the price for not obeying their messenger and
they were destroyed. The buildings they had built and the works of art
they had produced could not protect them from punishment. Thamud
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were destroyed with a terrible punishment just like all the other peoples
both before and after them who denied the Truth.
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A ncient Egyptian Civilisation, along with other city states established
in Mesopotamia at the same time, is known to be one of the ol-
dest civilisations in the world and it is recognised to have been an
organised state with the most advanced social order of its age. The facts
that they discovered writing around the 3rd millennium BC and used it, that
they made use of the river Nile and were protected against dangers abro-
ad on account of the natural setting of the country, greatly contributed to
the Egyptians improving their civilisation.
But this "civilised" society was one in which "the reign of pharaohs" pre-
vailed, which is the system of denial mentioned in the clearest and most
straightforward way in the Qur’an. They puffed up with pride, turned asi-
de and blasphemed. In the end, neither their advanced civilisations, their
social and political orders, nor their military successes could save them
from being destroyed.
The Authority of the Pharaohs
The Egyptian civilisation was based on the fertility of the River Nile.
Egyptians had settled in the Nile valley due to the abundant water of thisriver, and because they could cultivate the land with the water supplied by
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(Deeds) after the manner of the people of Fir’awn and those
before them: They treated as false the Signs of their Lord: so We
destroyed them for their crimes, and We drowned the people of
Fir’awn: for they were all oppressors and wrong-doers.
(Surat al-Anfal: 54)
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the river without being dependent on rainy seasons. The historian Ernst H.
Gombrich states in his writing that Africa is very hot and sometimes it do-
es not rain there at all for months. For this reason, many areas in this hu-
ge continent are extremely dry. Those parts of the continent are covered with vast desert. Both sides of the River Nile are also covered with deserts,
and it hardly rains in Egypt. But in this country, rain is not needed so
much, because the River Nile runs right down the middle of the whole co-
untry. 33
So, whoever has control of the River Nile, which is of such great impor-
tance, is also able to control Egypt’s biggest source of commerce and ag-
riculture. The pharaohs were able to establish their dominance over Egyptin this way.
The narrow and vertical form of the Nile valley did not allow residen-
tial units situated around the river to expand much, and therefore Egypti-
ans formed a civilisation made up of small-scaled towns and villages ins-
tead of big cities. This factor also fortified the dominance of the pharaohs
over their people.
King Menes is known to be the first Egyptian Pharaoh who united the whole of ancient Egypt, for the first time in history, in a united state aro-
und the 3rd millennium BC. In fact, the term "pharaoh" originally referred
to the palace where the Egyptian king lived, but in time, it became the tit-
le of Egyptian kings. This is why the kings, who were rulers of Old Egypt
started to be called "pharaohs".
Being owners, administrators and rulers of the whole state and its lands,
these pharaohs were accepted as reflections of the biggest god in the dis-torted polytheistic religion of old Egypt. The administration of Egyptian
lands, their division, their income, in short, all the estates, services and pro-
duction within the country’s borders were managed on behalf of the pha-
raoh.
The absolutism in the regime had furnished the pharaoh ruling the co-
untry with such a power that he could have anything he wished. Right at
the establishment of the first dynasty, at the time of Menes who becamethe first King of Egypt by uniting Upper and Lower Egypt, the River Nile
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started to be delivered to the public through canals. Beside that, producti-
on was taken under control and the entire production of goods and servi-
ces were assigned to the king. The king distributed and shared these go-
ods and services in the proportions his people needed. It was not hard forthe kings, who had established such a power in the region, to reduce the
people to submission. The King of Egypt, or with his future name, the pha-
raoh, was looked upon as a holy being who held great power and met all
the needs of his people: and he was transformed into a god. The Phara-
ohs definitely believed in time that they were indeed gods.
Some of the words the pharaoh mentioned in the Qur’an used during
his conversation with Musa prove that they held this belief. He tried to in-timidate Musa by saying "If thou dost put forward any god other than me,
I will certainly put thee in prison!" (Surat ash-Shuara: 29), and he said to
the people around him "no god do I know for you but myself" (Surat al-
Qasas: 38). He said all this because he regarded himself as a god.
Religious Beliefs
According to the historian Herodotus, the Ancient Egyptians were the
most "devout" people in the world. However, their religion was not the re-
ligion of Truth, but a perverse polytheistic one and they could not aban-
don their perverse religion because of their extreme conservatism.
The Ancient Egyptians were largely influenced by the natural environ-
ment in which they lived. The natural geography of Egypt protected the
country against external attacks perfectly. Egypt was surrounded by de-
serts, mountainous lands and seas on all sides. Attacks likely to be made
on the country had two possible routes and it was very simple for the
Egyptians to defend those routes. The Egyptians remained isolated from
the external world thanks to these natural factors. But passing centuries
transformed this isolation into a dark bigotry. Thus the Egyptians acquired
a viewpoint which was locked against new developments and novelties,
and which was extremely conservative about their religion. The "religion
of their ancestors" mentioned frequently in the Qur’an became their most
important value.
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This is why Fir’awn and his close circle turned their
backs on Musa and Harun when they announced the Religion of Truth to
them, by saying: "Hast thou come to us to turn us away from the ways we
found our fathers following - in order that thou and thy brother may have
greatness in the land? But not we shall believe in you!" (Surah Yunus: 78)
The religion of Ancient Egypt was divided into branches, the most im-
portant of which were the official religion of the state, the beliefs of the
people and belief in life after death.
According to the state’s official religion, the pharaoh was a holy being.
He was a reflection of the people’s gods on earth and his purpose was to
dispense justice and protect them on earth.
The beliefs widespread among people were extremely complicated,
and the elements in item which clashed with the state’s official religion we-
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The religious beliefsof the Egyptians were mainly basedon serving theirgods. The "interme-diaries" betweenthese gods and peo-
ple were the priests who were amongthe leaders of thesociety. Dealing with magic and witchcraft at thesame time, thepriests made animportant class whom the Pharaohs
used in order tokeep the people insubmission.
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re oppressed by the reigns of the Pharaohs. Basically, they believed in
many gods, and these gods were usually depicted as having animal heads
on human bodies. But it was also possible to meet with local traditions
which differed from region to region.Life after death made up the most important part of Egyptian belief.
They believed that the soul went on living after the body died. According
to this, the souls of the dead were brought by particular angels to the God
who was a Judge and forty-two other witness judges, a scale was set in the
middle and the heart of the soul was weighed in this scale. Those with mo-
re goodness passed on to a beautiful setting and lived in happiness, those
with more wickedness were sent to a place where they were subject to gre-at torments. There, they were tormented throughout eternity by a strange
creature called the "The Dead Eater".
The belief of the Egyptians in the Hereafter clearly shows a parallelism
with the monotheistic belief and the religion of Truth. Even their belief in
the hereafter alone proves that the religion of truth and the message had
reached ancient Egyptian civilisation, but that this religion was later cor-
rupted, and monotheism was turned into polytheism. It is already knownthat warners calling people to the unity of Allah and summoning them to
be His slaves were sent in Egypt from time to time, as they were to all the
earth’s peoples at one time or another. One of these was the prophet Yu-
suf whose life is told in detail in the Qur’an. The history of Yusuf is also
extremely important because it includes the arrival of the Children of Isra-
el in Egypt and their settlement there.
On the other hand, in the historical resources, there are references tosome Egyptians who invited people to monotheistic religions even before
Musa. One of them is the most interesting pharaoh in the history of Egypt,
that is, Amenhotep IV .
The Monotheistic Pharaoh Amenhotep IV
The Egyptian pharaohs were generally brutal, oppressive, belligerent
and ruthless people. In general, they adopted the polytheistic religion of
Egypt and deified themselves through this religion.
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But there is a pharaoh in Egyptian history
who is very different from the others. This pha-
raoh defended belief in a single Creator and
was subjected to great resistance by the priestsof Ammon, who profited from the polytheistic
religion, and some soldiers who supported
them, and so he was finally killed. This phara-
oh was Amenhotep IV who rose to power in
the 14th Century BC.
When Amenhotep IV was enthroned in 1375
BC, he came across a conservatism and traditi-onalism which had been lingering for centuries.
Until then, the structure of the society and the
relations of the public with the royal palace had
carried on without any change. The society
kept all its doors firmly shut to all external
events and religious innovations. This extreme
conservatism, also remarked by ancient Greektravellers, was caused by the natural geographical conditions of Egypt as
we have explained above.
Imposed on people by the pharaohs, the official religion required an
unconditional faith in everything old and traditional. But Amenhotep IV
did not adopt the official religion. The historian Ernst Gombrich writes;
He (Amenhotep IV) broke with many of the customs hallowed by an age-
old tradition. He did not wish to pay homage to the many strangely sha-
ped gods of his people. For him only one god was supreme, Aton, whom
he worshipped and whom he had represented in the shape of the sun. He
called himself Akhenaton, after his god, and he moved his court out of re-
ach of the priests of the other gods, to a place which is now called El-Amar-
na34
After the death of his father, young Amenhotep IV was subjected to gre-
at pressure. This oppression was caused by the fact that he developed a
religion based on monotheism by changing the traditional polytheistic re-ligion of Egypt, and attempting to make radical changes in all fields. But
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Amenhotep IV
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the leaders of Thebes did not allow him to convey the message of this re-
ligion. Amenhotep IV and his folk moved away from the city of Thebes
and settled in Tell-El-Amarna. Here, they established a new and modern
city named "Akh-et-aton". Amenhotep IV changed his name which meant"Contentment of Amon" to Akh-en-aton, which meant "Submitting to Aton".
Amon was the name given to the greatest totem in Egyptian polytheism.
According to Amenhotep, Aton is the "creator of the heavens and the
earth", his equating the name with Allah.
Disturbed by these developments, the priests of Ammon wanted to
snatch Akhenaton’s power by profiting from an economic crisis in the co-
untry. Akhenaton was finally killed by being poisoned by conspirators.Succeeding pharaohs were careful to stay under the influence of the pri-
ests.
After Akhenaton, pharaohs with a military background came to power.
These again caused the old traditional polytheism to become widespread
and spent a considerable effort to return to the past. Nearly a century la-
ter, Ramses II, who was to have the longest rule in the history of Egypt,
came to the throne. According to many historians, Ramses was the phara-oh tormenting the Children of Israel and fighting against Musa.35
The Coming of the Prophet Musa
Because of their deep bigotry, the ancient Egyptians would not aban-
don their idolatrous beliefs. Some persons came to them who announced
the message of worshipping only Allah, but the people of Fir’awn always
turned back to their perverted beliefs. Finally, Musa was sent by Allah as
a messenger (rasul) to them, both because they had adopted a system of
falsehood contrary to the religion of truth, and also because they had ens-
laved the Children of Israel. Musa was instructed both to invite Egypt to
the religion of truth, and to save the Children of Israel from slavery and
show them the right way. In the Qur’an, it is stated;
We rehearse to thee some of the story of Prophet Musa and Fir’awn in
Truth, for people who believe. Truly Fir’awn elated himself in the land andbroke up its people into sections, depressing a small group among them:
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their sons he slew, but he kept alive their females: for he was indeed a ma-
ker of mischief. And We wished to be Gracious to those who were being
depressed in the land, to make them leaders (in Faith) and make them he-
irs, to establish a firm place for them in the land, and to show Fir’awn, Ha-man, and their hosts, at their hands, the very things against which they we-
re taking precautions. (Surat al-Qasas: 3-6)
Fir’awn wanted to prevent the Children of Israel increasing in number,
by killing all new-born male babies. This was why, by inspiration from Al-
lah, Musa’s mother placed him in a basket and left him in the river. This
was the way that led him into the palace of Fir’awn. In the Qur’an, the ver-
ses on the subject are as follows;
So We sent this inspiration to the mother of Musa: "Suckle (thy child), but
when thou hast fears about him, cast him into the river, but fear not nor
grieve: for We shall restore him to thee, and We shall make him one of Our
messengers."
Then the people of Fir’awn picked him up (from the river): (It was inten-
ded) that (Musa) should be to them an adversary and a cause of sorrow:
for Fir’awn and Haman and (all) their hosts were men of sin.
The wife of Fir’awn said: "(Here is) joy of the eye, for me and for thee: slay
him not. It may be that he will be use to us, or we may adopt him as a
son." And they perceived not (what they were doing)! (Surat al-Qasas: 7-9)
Fir’awn’s wife prevented the murder of Musa and adopted him. This
way, Musa spent his childhood in Fir’awn’s palace. With the help of Allah,
his own mother was brought to the palace as his wet-nurse.
When he had become an adult, one day Musa intervened when he saw
one of the children of Israel being tormented by an Egyptian and he struck
the Egyptian one blow upon which the Egyptian died. Despite the fact he was living in the palace of Fir’awn, and he had been adopted by the Qu-
een, the chiefs of the city decided that his punishment was to be death.
Hearing this, Musa ran away from Egypt and came to Madyan. At the end
of the period he passed there, Allah spoke directly to him and Allah gave
him the station of prophethood. He was ordered to return to Fir’awn and
convey the message of Allah’s religion to him.
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The enslaved people whom Fir’awn wronged. Particularly in the age of the
New Kingdom, minorities living in the country were set to work on mas-
sive construction projects. The Children of Israel were among those
minorities. In the picture above top, the slaves who are seen working on
the construction of a temple are most likely the Children of Israel. The pic-ture below depicts technical preparations of slaves, again thought to be the
Children of Israel, before setting to work on a construction project. The
slaves are making bricks by boiling mud on fire, and preparing mortar.
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Considered to be the pharaoh men-
tioned in the Qur’an according to many
historians, Ramses II is seen killing
some of the slaves he has captured. As
these wall pictures also reveal, the
pharaohs had themselves idealised and depicted as strong warriors. They were
presented as tall heroes with wide shoul-
ders who could overcome a number of
people at one time.
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Above: Since the pharaohs
saw themselves as divine
beings, they tried to seem
superior to all other people.
Next: War captives seized by
the Egyptians are seen wait-
ing for the execution of
their death sentence.
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Fir’awn’s Palace
Musa and Harun went to Fir’awn in obedience to Allah’s command and
conveyed him the message of the religion of truth. They asked him to stop
tormenting the Children of Israel and let them go with Musa and Harun. It
was unacceptable to Fir’awn that Musa, whom he had kept near him for
years and who most probably was to have been his successor on the thro-
ne, stood up to him and talked to him in this manner. For that reason,
Fir’awn accused him of ingratitude;
(Fir’awn) said: "Did we not cherish thee as a child among us, and didst thou
not stay in our midst many years of thy life? And thou didst a deed of thi-
ne which (thou knowest) thou didst, and thou art an ungrateful (wretch)!"(Surat ash-Shuara: 18-19)
Fir’awn was trying to play on Musa’s sentiments and affect his consci-
ence. It was as if he was saying that since it was he and his wife who had
brought him up, it was Musa who should obey them. Moreover, Musa had
killed an Egyptian. All these acts required heavy penalties according to the
Egyptians. This emotional atmosphere which Fir’awn tried to create, was
also directed at influencing the leaders of his people, so that they would
also agree with Fir’awn.
On the other hand, the message of the religion of truth proclaimed by
Musa undermined Fir’awn’s power, and reduced him to the level of ordi-
nary people. From then on, it would be revealed that he was not a god,
and moreover he would be compelled to obey Musa. Besides, if he set the
Children of Israel free, he would loose some important manpower and
thus could fall in great distress.
For all these, Fir’awn did not even listen to what Musa said. He tried to
make fun of him, and attempted to change the subject by asking meaning-
less questions. At the same time, he tried to represent Musa and Harun as
anarchists and accuse them of being politically motivated. Finally, neither
Fir’awn nor the leaders of the people within his close circle, except for the
magicians, obeyed Musa and Harun. They did not follow the religion of
truth shown to them. Therefore Allah first of all sent some disasters to
them.
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Ramses II is seen in his war chariot driving a big group of enemies. Just like many others, this
is an imaginary scenario Fir’awn made his painters draw.
The War of Kadesh. This battle
held between Ramses and the
Hittites, was falsely passed on by history as a great victory for
Fir’awn. However, Fir’awn was
saved from death at the last
moment, and had to make peace.
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The Disasters That Befell Fir’awn
and His Close Circle
Fir’awn and his close circle were so deeply engaged in their polytheism
and their idolatry, that is "the religion of their ancestors", that they never
considered leaving it. Even two of the main miracles of Musa, his hand ap-
pearing white and his rod turning into snake, were not enough to make
them move away from their superstitions. Moreover, they expressed this
openly. They said "Whatever be the Signs thou bringest, to work therewith
thy sorcery on us, we shall never believe in thee." (Surat al-Araf: 132)
Because of their conduct, Allah sent them a number of disasters as "se-
parate miracles" to make them taste the torment in this world, before the
eternal torment of the next world. The first of these was drought and scar-
city of crops. In relation to the subject, it is written in the Qur’an: "We pu-
nished the people of Fir’awn with years (of droughts) and shortness of
crops; that they might receive admonition." (Surat al-Araf: 130).
Egyptians had based their agricultural system on the River Nile and, the-
refore, they were not influenced by changes in natural conditions. But an
unexpected disaster befell them because Fir’awn and his close friends we-
re proud and arrogant towards Allah and denied His prophet. Most pro-
bably, for various reasons, the level of the River Nile sank a great deal and
irrigation canals running off from the river did not carry enough water to
agricultural areas. Extreme heat caused the crops to dry up. Thus, the di-
saster came on Fir’awn and his circle from a very unexpected direction,
from the River Nile upon which they relied. This drought dismayed Fir’awn
who previously used to address his people as follows "O my people! Do-
es not the dominion of Egypt belong to me, (witness) these streams flo-
wing underneath my (palace)? What! see ye not then?" (Surat az-Zukhruf:
51)
However, instead of "taking heed" as shown in the verses, they held all
that had happened was because of ill fortune brought by Musa and the
Children of Israel. They were overcome by such a conviction because of
their superstitions and the religion of their ancestors. Because of this, they
chose to suffer from great distress, but what befell them was not limited to
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these. This was just a beginning. Afterwards, Allah sent to them a series of
disasters. These disasters are described as follows in the Qur’an;
So We sent (plagues) on them: Wholesale death, Locusts, Lice, Frogs, and
Blood: Signs openly self-explained: but they were steeped in arrogance - apeople given to sin.(Surat al-Araf: 133)
These disasters Allah sent on Fir’awn and the people around him who
also denied were also described in the Old Testament in agreement with
the Qur’an:
And there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.(Exodus, 7:21)
And if thou refuse to let [them] go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with
frogs: And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up
and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed,and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine
ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs. (Exodus, 8:2-3)
And the LORD said unto Moses, "Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and
smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land
of Egypt." (Exodus, 8:16)
And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the co-
asts of Egypt: very grievous [were they]; before them there were no such
locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. (Exodus, 10:14)Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This [is] the finger of God: and Pha-
raoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD
had said. (Exodus, 8:19)
Awful disasters kept happening to Fir’awn and his close circle. Some of
these disasters were caused by the objects worshipped as gods by the ido-
latrous people. For example, the River Nile and frogs were sacred for them
and had been deified by them. As they expected guidance from their
"gods" and called for their help, Allah punished them through their own
"gods" so that they could see their mistakes and pay for the wrongs they
had done.
According to interpreters of the Old Testament, the "blood" was the tur-
ning of the River Nile into blood. This was explained as a metaphor for the
River Nile’s turning solid red. According to an interpretation, what gave the
river this colour was a type of bacteria.
The Nile was the main source of life for the Egyptians. Any harm done
to this source could mean death for the whole of Egypt. If the bacteria had
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covered the River Nile so fully as to turn it red, this would cause every li-
ving thing using this water to be infected by these bacteria.
Recent explanations of the cause for the red colouring of water has fa-
voured protozoan, zooplankton, both salt - and fresh - water algal (phytop-lankton) blooms, and dinoflagellates. All of these various blooms - plant,
fungal or protozoan - deoxygenate water and produce noxious toxins for
both fish and frogs.
Citing the Exodus account in the Bible, Patricia A. Tester of the National
Marine Fisheries Service, writing in the Annals of the New York Academy
of Science, noted that while fewer than 50 out of approximately 5,000
known phytoplankton species are toxic, those which possess toxins can bedangerous to aquatic life. In the same publication, Ewen C. D. Todd of He-
alth Canada, referring to historic and prehistoric data, cited nearly two do-
zen examples of specific phytoplanktons causing various outbreaks thro-
ughout the world. W. W. Carmichael and I. R. Falconer listed diseases as-
sociated with fresh-water blue-green algae. Aquatic ecologist Joann M.
Burkholder, of North Carolina State University, described a dinoflagellate,
Pfiesteria piscimorte (found in estuary waters) that is capable of, as thespecies name implies, killing fish. 36
In Fir’awn’s time, this kind of chain of disasters appears to have occur-
red. According to this scenario, when the Nile was contaminated, fish also
died, and the Egyptians were deprived of an important source of nutrition.
Without predator fish, the frogs could initially breed freely in both ponds
and the Nile and thus overpopulate the river, eventually escaping the ano-
xic, toxic, and putrefying environment by migrating to land, hence dyingon land and decomposing along with the fish. The Nile and adjacent lands
thus became fouled, and the waters dangerous to drink or to bathe in. Mo-
reover, the extinction of frog species causes bugs such as locusts and lice
to reproduce excessively.
Finally, no matter how the disasters took place, and what effect they
left, neither Fir’awn, nor his people turned to Allah by paying heed, but
they went on in their arrogance.Fir’awn and his close circle were so hypocritical that they thought to de-
ceive Musa and thus, Allah (Allah forbid!). When the dreadful penalty fell
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upon them, they at once called for Musa and asked him to save them from
it:
Every time the penalty fell on them, they said: "O Musa! on your behalf call
on thy Lord in virtue of his promise to thee: If thou wilt remove the pe-nalty from us, we shall truly believe in thee, and we shall send away the
Children of Israel with thee." But every time We removed the penalty from
them according to a fixed term which they had to fulfil.
Behold! they broke their word! (Surat al-Araf: 134-135)
Exodus from Egypt
Allah explained to Fir’awn and his close circle through Musa that which
they had to take heed of, and thus warned them. In response, they rebel-
led and accused him of being possessed and untrue. Allah prepared a hu-
miliating end for them. He revealed to Musa what was to happen.
By inspiration we told Musa: "Travel by night with my servants; for surely
ye shall be pursued."
Then Fir’awn sent heralds to (all) the Cities,
(Saying): "These (Israelites) are but a small band,
And they are raging furiously against us;But we are a multitude amply fore-warned."
So We expelled them from gardens, springs,
Treasures, and every kind of honourable position;
Thus it was, but We made the Children of Israel inheritors of such things.
So they pursued them at sunrise.
And when the two bodies saw each other, the people of Musa said: "We
are sure to be overtaken." (Surat ash-Shuara: 52-61)
In such circumstances, when the Children of Israel thought that they were trapped, and Fir’awn’s men thought that they were about to catch
them, Musa said, never loosing faith in Allah's help: "By no means! my Lord
is with me! Soon will He guide me!" (Surat ash-Shuara: 62)
At that moment, Allah saved Musa and the Children of Israel by divi-
ding the sea. Fir’awn and his men were drowned under the waters which
closed over them after the Children of Israel had safely crossed.
Then We told Musa by inspiration: "Strike the sea with thy rod." So it divi-ded, and each separate part became like the huge, firm mass of a mounta-
in.
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And We made the other party approach thither.
We delivered Musa and all who were with him;
But We drowned the others. Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do
not believe. And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
(Surat ash-Shuara: 63-68)
Musa's rod had miraculous qualities. Allah had turned it into a snake in
His first revelation to him, and then this same rod had turned into a sna-
ke again and swallowed the sorceries of Fir’awn’s magicians. Now, Musa
divided the sea with the same rod. This was one of the greatest miracles
given to the prophet Musa.
Did the incident take place on the Mediterranean
Coasts of Egypt, or in the Red Sea?
There is no common agreement on the place where Musa divided the
sea. Since no detail is given on the subject in the Qur’an, we cannot be su-
re of the correctness of any of the views on the subject. Some sources
show the Mediterranean shores of Egypt as the place where the sea was
divided. In the Encyclopedia Judaica , it is said;The majority opinion today identifies the Red Sea of the Exodus with one
of the lagoons on the shores of the Mediterranean37
David Ben Gurion said that the event could have taken place during the
reign of Ramses II, possibly after the Kadesh defeat. In the Book of Exo-
dus in the Old Testament, the event is said to have happened in Migdol
and Baal-Zephon, which are located to the north of the delta38
This view is based on the Old Testament. In the translations of the Bo-
ok of Exodus from the Old Testament, it is said that Fir’awn and his men
were drowned in the Red Sea. But according to those who hold this view,
the word translated as "The Red Sea" is in fact "The Sea of Reeds". The
word is identified with the "Red Sea" in many sources, and used for that
location. However, "The Sea of Reeds" is actually used to refer to the Me-
diterranean coast of Egypt. In the Old Testament, while mentioning the ro-
ute followed by Musa and those following him, the words Migdol and Ba-
al-Zephon are mentioned, and these are located to the north in the Nile
Delta, on the shore of Egypt. The Sea of Reeds, by implication, supports
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the possibility that the incident may have happened on the
Egyptian shores, because in this region, in agreement with the
meaning of the name, reeds are produced thanks to the delta
alluvions.
The Drowning of Fir’awn and
His Men in the Sea
The Qur’an informs us about the most important aspects of
the event of the division of the Red Sea. According to the ac-
count of the Qur’an, Musa set out to leave Egypt with the
Children of Israel who obeyed him. However, Fir’awn could
not accept their departure without his permission. He and his
soldiers followed them "in insolence and spite" (Surah Yunus:
90). By the time Musa and the Children of Israel reached the
shore, Fir’awn and his soldiers had caught up with them. So-
me of the Children of Israel, who saw this, began to complain
to Musa. According to the Old Testament, they said to Musa
"why did you take us away from our homeland, there we we-
re slaves but we could lead our lives, now we will die". This
weakness of the community is also described in the Qur’an in
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We save thee in the body, that thou mayest be a sign to
those who come after thee! but verily, many among
mankind are heedless of Our Signs! (Surah Yunus: 92)
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the following verse: "And when the two bodies saw each other, the peop-
le of Musa said: 'We are sure to be overtaken.'" (Surat ash-Shuara: 61)
As a matter of fact, this was neither the first nor the last time that the
Children of Israel displayed such behaviour in which they showed no sub-mission. The people of Musa had complained to him once before saying:
"We have had (nothing but) trouble, both before and after thou camest to
us." (Surat al-Araf: 129) Contrary to the weak conduct of his people, Musa
was extremely confident, since he had profound trust in Allah. Right from
the beginning of his struggle, Allah had informed him that His help and
support would be with him: "Fear not: for I am with you: I hear and see
(everything)." (Surah Ta-Ha: 46) When Musa first met the sorcerers of Fir’awn, he felt "a sort of fear" (Su-
rah Ta-Ha: 67). Thereupon, Allah revealed to him that he should not fear
at all and that he would definitely overcome in the end. (Surah Ta-Ha: 68).
Thus, Musa was educated by Allah and acquired a full maturity in respect
to His ways. Consequently, when some of his people feared being overta-
ken, he said: "By no means! my Lord is with me! Soon will He guide me!"
(Surat ash-Shuara: 62) Allah revealed to Musa that he should strike the sea with his rod. Upon
this, "it divided, and each separate part became like the huge, firm mass of
a mountain." (Surat ash-Shuara: 63) In ordinary circumstances, at the mo-
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The picture on the left is of
the mummy of the Pharaoh,
Ramses II which was taken
from his tomb. Most historicalsources conclude that this
Pharaoh is Fir’awn mentioned
in the Qur'an. So, how could
the mummy of the Fir’awn
who drowned and died be
found in a tomb? Most proba-
bly, after Fir’awn drowned in
the sea, his corpse was
washed ashore and it was car-
ried to his tomb and laid there
by the Egyptians who found it.
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ment when Fir’awn saw such a miracle, he should have understood that
there was something extraordinary about the situation, and that he was
seeing Divine intervention. The sea opened for the people whom Fir’awn
wanted to destroy. Moreover, there was no guarantee that the sea wouldnot close back after they passed across. Still, he and his army followed the
Children of Israel into the sea. Most probably, Fir’awn and his soldiers had
lost their ability to think reasonably because of their insolence and spite,
and were unable comprehend the miraculous nature of the situation.
The Qur’an describes the last moments of Fir’awn as follows:
We took the Children of Israel across the sea: Fir’awn and his hosts fol-
lowed them in insolence and spite. At length, when overwhelmed with the
flood, he said: "I believe that there is no god except Him Whom the Child-
ren of Israel believe in: I am of those who submit (to Allah in Islam)."
(Surah Yunus: 90)
Here, it is possible to see another miracle of Musa. Let us remind our-
selves of the following verse:
Musa prayed: "Our Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on Fir’awn and his
chiefs splendour and wealth in the life of the present, and so, Our Lord,
they mislead (men) from Thy Path. Deface our Lord, the features of their wealth, and send hardness to their hearts, so they will not believe until they
see the grievous penalty."
Allah said: "Accepted is your prayer (O Musa and Harun)! So stand ye
straight, and follow not the path of those who know not." (Surah Yunus:
88-89)
It is clearly understood from this verse that Musa was thus informed in
answer to his supplication that Fir’awn would believe in Allah at the time
he faced the painful punishment. Indeed, Fir’awn said that he believed in
Allah when the waters started to cover. Yet, it was very clear that his
behaviour was insincere and false. Fir’awn most probably said so to save
himself from dying.
Certainly, the last-moment acceptance of faith of Fir’awn and his asking
for forgiveness were not accepted by Allah. Fir’awn and his army could not
be saved from death by drowning.
(It was said to him): "Ah now! But a little while before, wast thou in rebel-lion! and thou didst mischief (and violence)! This day shall We save thee in
the body, that thou mayest be a sign to those who come after thee! but ver-
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ily, many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!" (Surah Yunus: 91-92)
We are also informed that his men, as well as Fir’awn himself, received
their share of the punishment. Since the soldiers of Fir’awn were men of
"insolence and spite" (Surah Yunus: 90), "men of sin" (Surat al-Qasas: 8),"did wrong" (Surat al-Qasas: 40), and "thought that they would not have to
return to Allah" (Surat al-Qasas: 39) just like Fir’awn, they well deserved
the punishment of Allah. Thus, Allah seized both Fir’awn and his hosts and
flung them into the sea. (Surat al-Qasas: 40)
So Allah exacted retribution from them and drowned them in the sea,
because they rejected His signs and failed to take warning from them.
(Surat al-Araf: 136) Allah describes in the Qur’an in the following verses, all that happened
after the death of Fir’awn:
And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors
of lands in both east and west - lands whereon We sent down Our bles-
sings. The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel,
because they had patience and constancy, and We levelled to the ground
the great works and fine buildings which Fir’awn and his people erected
(with such pride). (Surat al-Araf: 137)
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The community of Saba was one of the four biggest civilisations
which lived in South Arabia. This people is estimated to have be-
en established some time between 1000-750 BC and to have col-
lapsed around 550 AD with the two centuries-long attacks of the Persians
and the Arabs.
The date of the establishment of the civilisation of Saba is a subject of
much discussion. The people of Saba started recording their governmen-
tal reports around 600 BC. This is why there are no records of them priorto this date.
The oldest sources which refer to the people of Saba are annual war
chronicles left from the time of the Assyrian King Sargon II. (722-705 BC)
While Sargon records about the people that pay taxes to him, he also re-
fers to the King of Saba, Yith’i-amara (It’amara). This record is the oldest
written source that yields information about the Saba civilisation. Yet, it
would not be right to draw the conclusion that the Saba culture was es-tablished around 700 BC depending only on this source, for it is highly
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And the Arim Flood
There was, for Saba, aforetime, a Sign in their home-land - two
Gardens to the right and to the left. "Eat of the Sustenance (provid-
ed) by your Lord, and be grateful to Him: a territory fair and happy,
and a Lord Oft-Forgiving!" But they turned away (from Allah), and We sent against them the Flood (released) from the dams, and We
converted their two garden (rows) into "gardens" producing bitter
fruit, and tamarisks, and some few (stunted) Lote-trees.
(Surah Saba: 15-16)
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probable that Saba had existed for quite some time before it was recorded
in written records. This means that the history of Saba may predate the
above. Indeed, in the inscriptions of Arad-Nannar, one of the latest kings
of the state of Ur, the word "Sabum", which is thought to mean "the co-untry of Saba", was used.39 If this word does mean Saba, then, this shows
that the history of Saba goes back as far as 2500 BC.
Historical sources telling about Saba usually say that this was a culture,
like the Phoenicians, particularly involved in commercial activities. Accor-
dingly, these people owned and administered some of the trade routes
passing across Northern Arabia. In order for the Sabaean traders to carry
their goods to the Mediterranean and Gaza, and thus pass across Northern Arabia, they had to get permission from Sargon II, the ruler of all the regi-
on, or pay a certain amount of tax to him. When the Sabaean people star-
ted paying taxes to the Assyrian Kingdom, their name began to be recor-
ded in the annals of this state.
The Sabaeans are known to have been a civilised people in history. In
the inscriptions of the rulers of Saba, words such as "restore", "dedicate"
and "construct" are frequently used. The Ma’rib Dam, which is one of themost important monuments of this people, is an important indication of the
technological level this people had reached. However, this did not mean
that the military power of the Sabaeans was weak; the Sabaean army was
one of the most important factors contributing to the endurance of their
culture over such a long period without collapse.
The Sabaean state had one of the strongest armies in the region. The
state was able to adopt an expansionist policy thanks to its army. The Sa-baean state had conquered the lands of the Old Qataban state. It owned
many lands on the African continent. During 24 BC, during an expedition
to Magrib, the Sabaean army utterly defeated the army of Marcus Aelius
Gallus, the Governor of Egypt for the Roman Empire which was definitely
the strongest state at the time. Saba can be portrayed as a state that pursu-
ed moderate policies, yet did not hesitate to use power when necessary.
With its advanced culture and army, the Sabaean state was definitely oneof the "super powers" of the region at the time.
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Inscriptions written in
the language of the
people of Saba.
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This extraordinarily strong army of the Sabaean state is also described
in the Qur’an. An expression of the commanders of the Saba army related
in the Qur'an, shows the extent of the confidence this army had in itself.
The commanders call out to the female ruler (queen) of the state: "We areendued with strength, and given to vehement war: but the command is
with thee; so consider what thou wilt command." (Surat an-Naml: 33)
The capital city of the Sabaean state was Ma’rib, which was quite we-
althy thanks to the advantageous position of its geography. The capital city
was very close to the River Adhanah. The point where the river reached
Jabal Balaq was very suitable for the construction of a dam. Making use of
this condition, the Sabaean people constructed a dam at this location at thetime when their civilisation was first established, and they began irrigation.
They indeed reached a very high level of prosperity. The capital city,
Ma’rib, was one of the most developed cities of the time. The Greek wri-
ter Pliny, who had visited the region and greatly praised it, also mentioned
how green this region was.40
The height of the dam in Ma’rib was 16 metres, its width was 60 met-
res and its length was 620 metres. According to the calculations, the totalarea that could be irrigated by the dam was 9,600 hectares, of which 5,300
hectares belonged to the southern plain, while the remaining part belon-
ged to the northern plain. These two plains were referred to as "Ma’rib and
two plains" in the Sabaean inscriptions41 . The expression in the Qur'an,
"two gardens to the right and to the left", points to the imposing gardens
and vineyards in these two valleys. Thanks to this dam and its irrigation
systems, the region became famous as the best irrigated and most fruitfularea of Yemen. The Frenchman J. Holevy and the Austrian Glaser proved
from written documents that the Ma’rib dam existed since ancient times. In
documents written in the Himer dialect, it is related that this dam rendered
the territory very productive.
This dam was extensively repaired during the 5th and 6th centuries AD.
Yet, these reparations could not prevent the dam from collapsing in 542
AD. The collapse of the dam resulted in the "flood of Arim" mentioned inthe Qur’an which caused great damage. The vineyards, gardens and the
cultivated fields of the Sabaean people, which they had cultivated for
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hundreds of years, were completely destroyed. It is also known that the
Sabaean people quickly went into a period of recession after the destruc-
tion of the dam. The end of the Sabaean state came at the end of this pe-
riod which had begun with the destruction of the dam.
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With the Ma’rib Dam, which they had constructed with very advanced technology, theSabaean people became owners of a great irrigation capacity. The fruitful lands they thus obtained and their control over the trade routes allowed them to lead a magnifi-cent and luxurious lifestyle. However, they "turned away" from Allah to whom they should have been grateful for all those bounties mentioned above. Therefore, theirdam collapsed and the "flood of Arim" destroyed all their attainments.
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The Flood of Arim which was Sent
to the State of Saba
When we examine the Qur’an in the light of the historical data above,
we observe that there is very substantial agreement here. Archaeological
findings and the historical data both verify what is recorded in the Qur’an.
As mentioned in the verse, these people, who did not listen to the exhor-
tations of their prophet and who ungratefully rejected faith, were in the
end punished with a dreadful flood. This flood is described in the Qur’an
in the following verses:
There was, for Saba, aforetime, a Sign in their home-land - two Gardens to
the right and to the left. "Eat of the Sustenance (provided) by your Lord,and be grateful to Him: a territory fair and happy, and a Lord Oft-Forgi-
ving!" But they turned away (from Allah), and We sent against them the Flo-
od (released) from the dams, and We converted their two garden (rows) in-
to "gardens" producing bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few (stunted)
Lote-trees. That was the Requital We gave them because they ungratefully
rejected Faith: and never do We give (such) requital except to such as are
ungrateful rejecters. (Surah Saba: 15-17)
As emphasised in the above verses, the Sabaean people were living in
a region noted for its outstanding aesthetic, fruitful vineyards and gardens.
Situated on the trade routes, the country of Saba had quite a high standard
of living and was one of the most favoured cities of the time.
In such a country, where standards of living and circumstances were so
positive, what the Sabaean people should have done was to "Eat of the
Sustenance (provided) by their Lord, and be grateful to Him" as is said in
the verse. Yet, they did not do so. They chose to lay claim to the prospe-
rity they had. They thought that this country belonged to themselves, that
it was they who made all these extraordinary circumstances possible. They
chose to be arrogant instead of being grateful, and, in the expression of
the verse, they "turned away from Allah"…
Because they laid claim to all the prosperity they had, they lost it all. As
related in the verse, the flood of Arim destroyed everything they had.
In the Qur’an, the punishment sent to the Sabaean people is named as
"Sayl al-Arim" which means the "flood of Arim". This expression used in
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the Qur’an also tells us the way this disaster occurred. The word "Arim"
means dam or barrier. The expression of "Sayl al-Arim" describes a flood
that came about with the collapse of this barrier. Islamic commentators ha-
ve resolved the issue of time and place being guided by the terms used in
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The Ma’rib Dam seen above in ruins was one of the most important works of the
Sabaean people. This dam collapsed because of the flood of Arim mentioned in
the Qur’an and all the cultivated areas were swamped. Its territory destroyed with
the collapsing of the dam, the Sabaean state lost its economic strength in a very
short time and was soon completely demolished.
Today, the
famous
dam of the
Sabaeans
are again
turned into
irrigation
premises.
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The Qur’an tells us that the
Queen of Saba and her people
were "worshipping the sun besides Allah" before she fol-
lowed Sulayman. The informa-
tion on the inscriptions verify
this fact and indicate that they
were worshipping the sun and
the moon in their temples, one
of which is seen above.
On the pillars, there are inscrip-
tions written in the Sabaean lan-
guage.
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the Qur'an about the flood of Arim. Mawdudi writes in his
commentary:
As also used in the expression, Sayl al-Arim, the word "arim"
is derived from the word "arimen" used in the Southern Ara-bic dialect, which means "dam, barrier". In the ruins uneart-
hed in the excavations made in Yemen, this word was seen
to be frequently used in this meaning. For example, in the
inscriptions which was ordered by Yemen’s Habesh monarch,
Ebrehe (Abraha), after the restoration of the big Ma’rib wall
in 542 and 543 AD, this word was used to mean dam (barri-
er) time and again. So, the expression of Sayl al- Arim means
"a flood disaster which occurs after the destruction of a dam.""We converted their two garden (rows) into gardens produ-
cing bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few (stunted) Lote-
trees" (Surah Saba: 16). That is, after the collapse of the dam-
wall, all the country was inundated by the flood. The canals
that had been dug by the Sabaean people, and the wall that
had been constructed by building barriers between the mo-
untains, were destroyed and the irrigation system fell apart.
As a result, the territory, which was like a garden before, tur-ned into a jungle. There was no fruit left but the cherry-like
fruit of little stumpy trees.42
The Christian archaeologist Werner Keller, writer of "The
Holy Book Was Right" (Und Die Bible Hat Doch Recht) , accep-
ted that the flood of Arim occurred according to the descrip-
tion of the Qur’an and wrote that the existence of such a dam
and the destruction of the whole country by its collapse pro-
ves that the example given in the Qur'an about the people of
the garden was indeed realized.43
After the disaster of the Arim flood, the region started to
turn into a desert and the Sabaean people lost their most im-
portant source of income with the disappearance of their ag-
ricultural lands. The people, who had not heeded the call of
Allah to believe in Him and to be grateful to Him, were in the
end punished with such a disaster as this. After the great dest-
ruction caused by the flood, the people started to disintegra-
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te. The Sabaean people started to desert their houses and emigrate to Nort-
hern Arabia, Makkah and Syria.44
Since the flood took place after the revelation of the Tawrah and the
Bible, this event is described only in the Qur’an.The city of Ma’rib, which was once a residence for the Sabaean peop-
le, but is now only a desolate ruin, undoubtedly is a warning to those who
repeat the same mistake as the Sabaean people. The Sabaean people we-
re not the only people that were destroyed by a flood. In Surat al-Kahf of
the Qur'an, the story of two garden owners is told. One of these men pos-
sesses a very imposing and productive garden like those of the Sabaean
people. However, he makes the same mistake as them: turning away from Allah. He thinks that the favour bestowed on him "belongs" to him him-
self, i.e. he is the cause of it:
Set forth to them the parable of two men: for one of them We provided two
gardens of grape-vines and surrounded them with date palms; in between
the two We placed corn-fields. Each of those gardens brought forth its pro-
duce, and failed not in the least therein: in the midst of them We caused a
river to flow.
(Abundant) was the produce this man had. He said to his companion, inthe course of a mutual argument: "more wealth have I than you, and mo-
re honour and power in (my following of) men." He went into his garden
in a state (of mind) unjust to his soul: He said, "I deem not that this will
ever perish, Nor do I deem that the Hour (of Judgment) will (ever) come:
Even if I am brought back to my Lord, I shall surely find (there) something
better in exchange."
His companion said to him, in the course of the argument with him: "Dost
thou deny Him Who created thee out of dust, then out of a sperm-drop,then fashioned thee into a man? But (I think) for my part that He is Allah,
My Lord, and none shall I associate with my Lord. Why didst thou not, as
thou wentest into thy garden, say: ‘Allah's will (be done)! There is no po-
wer but with Allah!’ If thou dost see me less than thee in wealth and sons,
It may be that my Lord will give me something better than thy garden, and
that He will send on thy garden thunderbolts (by way of reckoning) from
heaven, making it (but) slippery sand!- Or the water of the garden will run
off underground so that thou wilt never be able to find it."So his fruits (and enjoyment) were encompassed (with ruin), and he rema-
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ined twisting and turning his hands over what he had spent on his pro-
perty, which had (now) tumbled to pieces to its very foundations, and he
could only say, "Woe is me! Would I had never ascribed partners to my Lord
and Cherisher!" Nor had he numbers to help him against Allah, nor was he
able to deliver himself. There, the (only) protection comes from Allah, the
True One. He is the Best to reward, and the Best to give success. (Surat al-
Kahf: 32-44)
As understood from the verses, the mistake of this garden owner was
not to deny the existence of Allah. He does not deny the existence of Al-
lah, on the contrary he supposed that "even if he is brought back to his
Lord" he would certainly find something better in exchange. He held that
the state he is in, was due to his own successful efforts. Actually, this is exactly what associating partners to Allah means: at-
tempting to lay claim to everything that belongs to Allah and losing one's
fear of Allah thinking that one has some particular grace of his own, and
Allah will somehow "show favour" to one.
This is what the Sabaean people also did. Their punishment was the sa-
me - all of their territory was destroyed - so that they could understand that
they were not the ones who were the "owners" of power but that it wasonly "bestowed" on them…
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Historical records regarding the meeting of Sulayman and the Qu-
een of Saba were brought into daylight by examinations made in
the old country of Saba in South Yemen. Examinations made on
the ruins revealed that a "queen" lived in the region between 1000 and 950
BC and travelled towards the north (to Jerusalem).
Details of what happened between these two rulers, the economical
and political power of their countries, their regimes and some other deta-
ils are all explained in the Surat an-Naml. The story, which covers a large
part of Surat an-Naml, begins its reference to the Queen of Saba with the
news which the Hudhud (a Hoopoe bird), a member of Sulayman’s army,
gives to Sulayman:
But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he (came up and) said: "I have compassed
(territory) which thou hast not compassed, and I have come to thee from
Saba with tidings true. I found (there) a woman ruling over them and pro-
vided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne.I found her and her people worshipping the sun besides Allah: Satan has
made their deeds seem pleasing in their eyes, and has kept them away
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And the Queen of Saba
She was asked to enter the lofty Palace: but when she saw it, she tho-
ught it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering
her legs. He said: "This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs of
glass." She said: "O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul: I do
(now) submit (in Islam), with Sulayman, to the Lord of the Worlds."
(Surat an-Naml: 44)
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from the Path -so they receive no guidance- (Kept them away from the
Path), that they should not worship Allah, Who brings to light what is hid-
den in the heavens and the earth, and knows what ye hide and what ye
reveal. Allah!- there is no god but He!- Lord of the Throne Supreme!" (Su-
layman) said: "Soon shall we see whether thou hast told the truth or lied!"
(Surat an-Naml: 22-27)
After receiving this news from the Hoopoe, Sulayman gave the follo-
wing commands to him:
"Go thou, with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them: then draw back
from them, and (wait to) see what answer they return" (Surat an-Naml: 28)
After this, the Qur’an tells about the events that developed after the Qu-
een of Saba received the letter:(The queen) said: "Ye chiefs! here is delivered to me - a letter worthy of
respect. It is from Sulayman, and is (as follows): 'In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful: Be ye not arrogant against me, but come to me in
submission (to the true Religion).'"
She said: "Ye chiefs! advise me in (this) my affair: no affair have I decided
except in your presence."
They said: "We are endued with strength, and given to vehement war: but
the command is with thee; so consider what thou wilt command." She sa-id: "Kings, when they enter a country, despoil it, and make the noblest of
its people its meanest thus do they behave. But I am going to send him a
present, and (wait) to see with what (answer) return (my) ambassadors."
Now when (the embassy) came to Sulayman, he said: "Will ye give me
abundance in wealth? But that which Allah has given me is better than that
which He has given you! Nay it is ye who rejoice in your gift! Go back to
them, and be sure we shall come to them with such hosts as they will ne-
ver be able to meet: We shall expel them from there in disgrace, and they will feel humbled (indeed)."
He said (to his own men): "Ye chiefs! which of you can bring me her thro-
ne before they come to me in submission?" Said an 'Ifrit, of the Jinns: "I will
bring it to thee before thou rise from thy council: indeed I have full strength
for the purpose, and may be trusted."
Said one who had knowledge of the Book: "I will bring it to thee within
the twinkling of an eye!" Then when (Sulayman) saw it placed firmly befo-
re him, he said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord!- to test me whether I amgrateful or ungrateful! and if any is grateful, truly his gratitude is (a gain)
for his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, truly my Lord is Free of all Ne-
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eds, Supreme in Honour !"
He said: "Transform her throne out of all recognition by her: let us see
whether she is guided (to the truth) or is one of those who receive no gu-
idance."
So when she arrived, she was asked, "Is this thy throne?" She said, "It was
just like this; and knowledge was bestowed on us in advance of this, and
we have submitted to Allah (in Islam)." And he diverted her from the wors-
hip of others besides Allah: for she was (sprung) of a people that had no
faith. She was asked to enter the lofty Palace: but when she saw it, she tho-
ught it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her
legs. He said: "This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass." She
said: "O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul: I do (now) submit (in
Islam), with Sulayman, to the Lord of the Worlds." (Surat an-Naml: 29-44)
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The queen of Saba was very
impressed when
she saw
Sulayman's
palace and she
submitted in
Islam with
Sulayman.
A map showingthe two-way
route of the
queen of Saba.
A R A
B I A N P E N
I N S U
L A
T i g r i s
E u p h r a t e s
Nile
2 0 0 0 k m
Jerusalem
a
b
a
K I N G D O M O F S A B A
WAY FORWARD
WAY BACK
KINGDOM
OF SABA
b
KINGDOM OF
SULEYMAN
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Sulayman's Palace
In the chapters and verses that refer to the Queen of Saba, the prophet
Sulayman is also mentioned. While it is told in the Qur’an that he has a
magnificent palace and kingdom, many other details are also given.
According to these, Sulayman had the most advanced technology of his
day. In his palace were striking pieces of art and other valuable objects,
which impressed all those who saw them. The entrance of the palace was
made of glass. The Qur’an describes this palace and its effects on the Qu-
een of Saba in the following verses:
She was asked to enter the lofty Palace: but when she saw it, she thought
it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs.He said: "This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass." She said:
"O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul: I do (now) submit (in Islam),
with Sulayman, to the Lord of the Worlds." (Surat an-Naml: 44)
Prophet Sulayman’s palace is called "Solomon’s Temple" in Jewish lite-
rature. Today, only the "Western Wall" of the so called temple or palace
stands and this is at the same time, the place named "The Wailing Wall" by
the Jews. The reason why this palace as well as many other places in Je-
rusalem were later demolished, is because of the mischievous and arrogant
conduct of subsequent Jews. The Qur’an informs us about this as follows:
And We gave (Clear) Warning to the Children of Israel in the Book, that
twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arro-
gance (and twice would they be punished)! When the first of the warnings
came to pass, We sent against you Our servants given to terrible warfare:
They entered the very inmost parts of your homes; and it was a warning
(completely) fulfilled. (Surat al-Isra: 4-5)Then did We grant you the Return as against them: We gave you increase
in resources and sons, and made you the more numerous in man-power.
If ye did well, ye did well for yourselves; if ye did evil, (ye did it) against
yourselves. So when the second of the warnings came to pass, (We permit-
ted your enemies) to disfigure your faces, and to enter your Temple as they
had entered it before, and to visit with destruction all that fell into their po-
wer. (Surat al-Isra: 6-7)
All the people described in the previous chapters deserved punishment
because of their rebellion and ingratitude for Allah's favours, and therefo-
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After Solomon’s
Temple was
destroyed, the only
wall of the templethat remained was
turned into the
"Wailing Wall" by the
Jews. After conquer-
ing Jerusalem during
the 7th century, the
Muslims built the
Mosque of ‘Umar and
the Dome of the Rock where the temple
once stood. Jerusalem
still retains this. In the
picture above is seen
Dome of the Rock.
Sulayman's Temple
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Solomon’s Temple had the most advanced technology of the time
and a superior understanding of aesthetics. In the upper plan is
shown the center of Jerusalem during the prophet Sulayman's
reign. 1) Southwest door 2) Queen's palace 3) Sulayman's palace
4) Entrance with 32 pillars 5) Law court 6) The Forest of Lebanon
7) The house of the high priests 8) The entrance of the Temple
9) The courtyard of the Temple 10) The temple
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re they suffered disaster. Having wandered from one place to another for
centuries without any country or state, and finally finding a home in the
holy lands at the time of Sulayman, the Jews were again destroyed beca-
use of their transgression beyond all bounds, and because of their corrup-tion and disobedience. Modern Jews, who have settled in the same region
in the recent past, are again causing corruption and are "elated with mighty
arrogance", just as they did before the first warning.
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The Qur’an’s 18th Surah named "Al-Kahf", meaning "the cave", tells
about a group of young people who took shelter in a cave to hi-
de away from a ruler who denied Allah and practised oppression
and injustice upon the believers. The verses on the subject are as follows:
Or dost thou reflect that the Companions of the Cave and of the Inscripti-
on were wonders among Our Sign?Behold, the youths betook themselves to the Cave: they said, "Our Lord!
bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the
right way!"
Then We draw (a veil) over their ears, for a number of years, in the Cave,
(so that they heard not):
Then We roused them, in order to test which of the two parties was best
at calculating the term of years they had tarried!
We relate to thee their story in truth: they were youths who believed in the-ir Lord, and We advanced them in guidance:
We gave strength to their hearts: Behold, they stood up and said: "Our Lord
is the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: never shall we call upon any
god other than Him: if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity!
These our people have taken for worship gods other than Him: why do
they not bring forward an authority clear (and convincing) for what they
do? Who doth more wrong than such as invent a falsehood against Allah?"
"When ye turn away from them and the things they worship other than Al-lah, betake yourselves to the Cave: Your Lord will shower His mercies on
you and disposes of your affair towards comfort and ease."
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Or dost thou reflect that the Companions of the Cave
and of the Inscription were wonders among Our
Sign? (Surat al-Kahf: 9)
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Thou wouldst have seen the sun, when it rose, declining to the right from
their Cave, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they
lay in the open space in the midst of the Cave. Such are among the Signs
of Allah: He whom Allah, guides is rightly guided; but he whom Allah le-
aves to stray -for him wilt thou find no protector to lead him to the Right
Way.
Thou wouldst have deemed them awake, whilst they were asleep, and We
turned them on their right and on their left sides: their dog stretching forth
his two fore-legs on the threshold: if thou hadst come up on to them, thou
wouldst have certainly turned back from them in flight, and wouldst certa-
inly have been filled with terror of them.
Such (being their state), we raised them up (from sleep), that they might
question each other. Said one of them, "How long have ye stayed (here)?"
They said, "We have stayed (perhaps) a day, or part of a day. (At length)"
they (all) said, "Allah (alone) knows best how long ye have stayed here?
Now send ye then one of you with this money of yours to the town: let
him find out which is the best food (to be had) and bring some to you, that
(ye may) satisfy your hunger therewith: And let him behave with care and
courtesy, and let him not inform any one about you.
For if they should come upon you, they would stone you or force you to
return to their cult, and in that case ye would never attain prosperity.""
Thus did We make their case known to the people, that they might know
that the promise of Allah is true, and that there can be no doubt about the
Hour of Judgment. Behold, they dispute among themselves as to their af-
fair. (Some) said, "Construct a building over them": Their Lord knows best
about them: those who prevailed over their affair said, "Let us surely build
a place of worship over them."
(Some) say they were three, the dog being the fourth among them; (others)say they were five, the dog being the sixth -doubtfully guessing at the unk-
nown; (yet others) say they were seven, the dog being the eighth.
Say thou: "My Lord knoweth best their number; It is but few that know the-
ir (real case)." Enter not, therefore, into controversies concerning them, ex-
cept on a matter that is clear, nor consult any of them about (the affair of)
the Sleepers.
Nor say of anything, "I shall be sure to do so and so tomorrow"- without
adding, "So please Allah!" and call thy Lord to mind when thou forgettest,and say, "I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even) than this to
the right road."
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So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine
(more) Say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed: with Him is (the
knowledge of) the secrets of the heavens and the earth: how clearly He se-
es, how finely He hears (everything)! They have no protector other than
Him; nor does He share His Command with any person whatsoever." (Su-
rat al-Kahf: 9-26)
According to widespread belief, the Companions of the Cave who are
praised both by the Islamic and Christian sources, were subjected to the
cruel tyranny of the Roman Emperor, Decius. Meeting the oppression and
injustice of Decius, these young people warned their own people many ti-
mes not to abandon the religion of Allah. The indifference of their people
to their communication of the message, the increase in oppression of the
emperor and their being threatened with death, caused them to leave the-
ir homes.
As historical documents verify, at that time, many emperors extensively
executed policies of terror, oppression, and injustice on believers who sto-
od for early Christianity in its original and pure form.
In a letter written by the Roman Governor Pilinius (69-113 AD) who
was in North West Anatolia, to the Emperor Trayanus, he referred to "the
companions of the Messiah (the Christians) who were punished because
they resisted worshipping the statue of the Emperor." This letter is one of
the important documents which relate the oppression visited on early
Christians at that time. Under such circumstances, these young people,
who were asked to submit to a non-religionist system and to worship an
emperor as a god apart from Allah, did not accept this and said;
"Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: never shall we callupon any god other than Him: if we did, we should indeed have uttered
an enormity! These our people have taken for worship gods other than
Him: why do they not bring forward an authority clear (and convincing)
for what they do? Who doth more wrong than such as invent a falsehood
against Allah?" (Surat al-Kahf: 14-15)
As regards the region where the Companions of the Cave lived, there
are several different opinions. The most reasonable of these are Ephesus
and Tarsus.
Almost all the Christian sources show Ephesus as the location of the Ca-
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ve where these young believers took shelter. Some Muslim researchers and
the Qur’anic commentators agree with the Christians regarding Ephesus.
Some others, explained in detail that Ephesus was not the place, and then
tried to prove that the event took place in Tarsus. In this study, both of these alternatives will be dealt with. Yet, all those researchers and com-
mentators - including the Christians - said that the event took place at the
time of Roman Emperor Decius (also called as Decianus), around 250 AD.
Decius, together with Nero, is known to be the Roman Emperor, who
most severely tortured the Christians. During his short reign, he passed a
law that compelled everyone under his rule to offer a sacrifice to the Ro-
man gods. Everyone was obliged to offer a sacrifice to these deities, andmoreover, to get a certificate showing that they had done this, which they
had to show to state officials. Those who did not obey were executed. In
Christian sources, it is written that a great majority of the Christians refu-
sed this idolatrous act and fled from "one city to another", or hid in secret
shelters. The Companions of the Cave are most probably a group among
these early Christians.
Meanwhile, there is a point that has to be emphasised here: this topichas been narrated in a story-like manner by some of Muslim and Christian
historians and commentators, and turned into a legend as a result of the
addition of much falsehood and hearsay. However, this incident is a histo-
rical reality.
Are the Companions of the Cave in Ephesus?
As regards the city where these young people lived and the cave in which they took shelter, various places are indicated in different sources.
The main reasons for this are: people's wish to believe that such courage-
ous and brave-hearted people lived in their town, and the great similarity
of the caves in those regions. For instance, in almost all of these places,
there is a place of worship said to be built over caves.
As is well known, Ephesus was accepted to be a holy place by the
Christians, because, there is a house in this city which was said to be the Virgin Mary's and which was later turned into a church. So, it is highly pro-
134
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bable that the Companions of the Cave resided in one of those holy pla-
ces. Moreover, some Christian sources state their certainty that it was the
place.
The oldest source on the subject is the Syrian priest, James of Saruc(born 452 AD). The famous historian, Gibbon, has taken many quotations
from James’ study, in his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire .
According to this book, the name of the Emperor, who tortured the seven
young Christian believers and compelled them to hide away in a cave, was
Decius. Decius ruled over the Roman Empire between 249-251 AD and his
period of reign is widely known for the torments he practised on the fol-
lowers of ‘Isa (Jesus). According to Muslim commentators, the region whe-re the event took place was either "Aphesus" or "Aphesos". According to
Gibbon, the name of this place is Ephesus. Situated on the western coast
of Anatolia, this city was one of the largest ports and cities of the Roman
Empire. The ruins of this city are known as "The Antique City of Ephesus"
today.
The name of the Emperor who reigned in the period when the Compa-
nions of the Cave woke up from their long sleep, is Tezusius according toMuslim researchers, whereas it is Theodosius II according to Gibbons. This
Emperor ruled between 408-450 AD, after the Roman Empire had conver-
ted to Christianity.
Referring to the verse below, in some commentaries it is said that the
mouth of the cave looks towards the north, and hence the sunlight could
not penetrate inside. Thus, someone passing by the cave could not see
what was inside at all. The related verse of the Qur’an informs:Thou wouldst have seen the sun, when it rose, declining to the right from
their Cave, and when it set, turning away from them to the left, while they
lay in the open space in the midst of the Cave. Such are among the Signs
of Allah: He whom Allah, guides is rightly guided; but he whom Allah le-
aves to stray,- for him wilt thou find no protector to lead him to the Right
Way. (Surat al-Kahf: 17)
The archaeologist Dr. Musa Baran points to Ephesus as the place whe-
re this group of young believers lived, in his book named Ephesus , and headds:
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The interior
of the Cave
in Ephesus
which is
thought to be
the one of
theCompanions
of the Cave.
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In the year 250 BC, seven young people living in Ephesus choose Christi-
anity and reject idolatry. Trying to find a way out, these young people find
a cave in the eastern slope of the Pion mountain. The Roman soldiers see
this and build a wall to the entrance of the cave. 45
Today, it is acknowledged that over these old ruins and graves, many
religious constructions are built. Excavations made by the Austrian Archa-eological Institute in 1926, revealed that the ruins found on the eastern slo-
pe of the Pion mountain belonged to a construction built on behalf of the
Companions of the Cave in the middle of the 7th century (during the rule
of Theodosius II). 46
Are the Companions of the Cave in Tarsus?
The second place presented as the place where the Companions of the
Cave have lived, is Tarsus. Indeed, there is a cave that is very similar to the
one described in the Qur'an, which is located on a mountain known eit-
her as Encilus or Bencilus, to the north-west of Tarsus.
The idea that Tarsus is the correct location is the view of many Islamic
scholars. One of the most important Qur’anic interpreters, at-Tabari specifi-
ed the name of the mountain where the cave stood as "Bencilus" in his bo-
ok named Tarikh al-Umam , and added that this mountain was in Tarsus. 47
Again, another famous commentator on the Qur’an, Muhammed Emin
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The cave in
Ephesus seen
from the outside.
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stated that the name of the mountain was "Pencilus" and that it was in Tar-
sus. The name that is pronounced as "Pencilus" may sometimes be prono-
unced as "Encilus". According to him, the difference between the words is
caused by different pronunciations of the letter "B" or by the loss of a let-
ter from the original word which is called "historical word abrasion".48
Fakhruddin ar-Razi, another well known Qur'anic scholar, explains in
his work that "even though this place is called Ephesus, the basic intenti-
on is to say Tarsus here, because Ephesus is just another name of Tarsus".49
In addition, in the commentaries of Qadi al-Baidawi and an-Nasafi, in
the commentaries of al-Jalalayn and in at-Tibyan, in the commentaries of
Elmali and O.Nasuhi Bilmen, and many other scholars, this place is speci-
fied as "Tarsus". Besides, all of these commentators explain the sentence of
the 17th verse, "the sun, when it rose declined to the right from their ca-
ve, and when it set, turned away from them to the left", by saying that the
mouth of the cave in the mountain looked towards the north.50
The residence of the Companions of the Cave was a subject of interest
also at the time of the Ottoman Empire and some research was made on
the subject. There is some correspondence and an exchange of informati-
on on the subject in the Ottoman Archives of the Prime Ministry. For ins-
tance, in a letter sent to the Treasury Superior of the Ottoman State by the
local administration of Tarsus, there is a formal request and an attached
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The cave in Tarsus that is thought to
belong to the Companions of the Cave.
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message notifying of their demand to give salary to those people who de-
alt with the cleaning and maintenance of the cave of Ashab-› Kahf (Com-
panions of the Cave). The reply to this letter stated that in order for these
salaries to be paid to the workers from the state treasury, it was necessary to find out whether this was indeed the place where the Companions of
the Cave had resided. The research made for this purpose has been very
useful in determining the real location of the Cave.
In a report prepared after an investigation made by the National Coun-
cil, it was stated: "To the north of Tarsus, a province of Adana, there is a
cave on a mountain two hours away from Tarsus, and the mouth of this
cave looks to the north as stated in the Qur'an." 52The debates which developed as to who the Companions of the Cave
were, where and when they lived, always led the authorities to make re-
search into the subject and many comments were made on the subject. Yet,
none of these comments may be considered certain, and, therefore, ques-
tions such as: at which period these young believers lived, and where the
cave mentioned in the verses was, remain without substantial answers.
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A ll the peoples we have reviewed until now, had some qualities in
common such as: transgressing against Allah, associating partners
with Him, behaving arrogantly in the land, wrongfully devouring
other’s property, tending to sexual perversion, and insolence. Another
common feature they had was their oppression and iniquity towards the
Muslims in their vicinity. They tried in every way to intimidate the Muslims.
The purpose of the warnings of the Qur’an is surely not just to give his-
tory lessons. The Qur’an states that the stories of the prophets are told only
to set an "example". Those prophets who were earlier destroyed, should
lead those who come after them to the right way:
Is it not a warning to such men (to call to mind) how many generations be-
fore them We destroyed, in whose haunts they (now) move? Verily, in this
are Signs for men endued with understanding. (Surah Ta-Ha: 128)
If we consider all of these to be "examples", then we can see that so-
me parts of our society are no better, in terms of degeneration and transg-
ression, than the peoples who perished and which are described in these
stories.
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Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those
before them? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the soil
and populated it in greater numbers than these have done: there came
to them their messengers with Clear (Signs). (Which they rejected, to
their own destruction): It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they
wronged their own souls. (Surat ar-Room: 9)
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Particularly, an important group of the "leading people of the society" -
who are also known as "high society", are not very much different from
the peoples who perished described in the Qur’an. The members of this
group, most of whom are aware of the principles of the religion of truth,do not hesitate to perform every kind of perversion. Their hostility towards
the Muslims is known by everyone.
The most interesting point is the fact that most societies in our day ha-
ve a high population of sodomists and homosexuals within them which re-
mind us of the "People of Lut". The homosexuals, attending sex parties
with "leading people of the society", display all kinds of perversions out-
doing their counterparts in Sodom and Gomorrah. Especially, there are agroup of them living in the largest cities of the world, who have "gone
even further" than those in Pompeii.
All the societies we have examined have been punished through natu-
ral disasters such as earthquakes, storms, flood etc. Similarly, the societies
that go astray and dare to commit the offences of past peoples may well
be punished in a like manner.
It should not be forgotten that Allah may punish whatever person or na-tion He wills whenever He wills. Or, He may let whomever He wills lead
a ordinary life in this world, and punish him in the Hereafter. The Qur’an
states:
Each one of them We seized for his crime: of them, against some We sent
a violent tornado (with showers of stones); some were caught by a
(mighty) Blast; some We caused the earth to swallow up; and some We
drowned (in the waters): It was not Allah Who injured (or oppressed)
them. They injured (and oppressed) their own souls. (Surat al-Ankaboot:40)
The Qur’an also tells about a believer, who was from the family of
Fir’awn and lived during the period of Musa, but who concealed his beli-
ef. He said to his people:
"O my people! Truly I do fear for you something like the Day (of disaster)
of the Confederates (in sin)!- Something like the fate of the People of Nuh,
the ‘Ad, and the Thamud, and those who came after them: but Allah never wishes injustice to his Servants.
And O my people! I fear for you a Day when there will be Mutual calling
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(and wailing) - "A Day when ye shall turn your backs and flee: No defen-
der shall ye have from Allah: Any whom Allah leaves to stray, there is no-
ne to guide..." (Surat al-Ghafir: 30-33)
All of the prophets warned their people, pointed out to them the Day of Judgement and attempted to make them frightened of Allah’s punish-
ment, just as did this believer who concealed his faith. The lives of all the
prophets and messengers were passed in explaining these matters to their
people over and over again. Yet most often, the people to whom they we-
re sent accused them of untruthfulness, of seeking to acquire material ga-
ins, or trying to assert their superiority over them and then they went on
to practise their own systems without thinking of what the prophet said or
without questioning their deeds. Some of them have gone further and at-
tempted to kill or drive away the believers. The number of the believers
that obeyed and followed was often very few. However, in the cases of the
rebellious communities, Allah always saved only the prophets and their fol-
lowers.
Despite the thousands of years that have gone by, and the changes in
places, manners, technologies and civilisations, yet not much has changed
in the aforementioned social structures and the systems of the unbelievers.
As we have emphasised above, a certain part of the society in which we
live has all the qualities of the people described in the Qur'an. Just like
Thamud who gave short measure, there are also a great number of forgers
and swindlers today. There exists a "homosexual community", which is de-
fended whenever the occasion shows itself, and the members of which do
not fall short of the people of Lut in whom sexual perversion had reached
its peak. A great part of society is made up of people as ungrateful and re-
bellious as Saba, as unthankful for the wealth endowed to them as the pe-
ople of Iram, as unsubmissive and insulting towards the believers as the
people of Nuh, and as heedless of social justice as ‘Ad.
These are very significant signs…
We should always bear in mind that whatever differences come about
in societies or at whatever stage of technological advancement they are or
whatever their potentials are, that these have no importance whatsoever.
None of these can save one from Allah's punishment. The Qur’an reminds
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us all of this reality:
Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those
before them? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the soil
and populated it in greater numbers than these have done: there came to
them their messengers with Clear (Signs). (Which they rejected, to their
own destruction): It was not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged
their own souls. (Surat ar-Room: 9)
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Perished Nations
145
Glory to Thee, of knowledge We have
none, save what Thou Hast taught us:
In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in
knowledge and wisdom.
(Surat al-Baqara, 32)
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1 Max Mallowan, Nuh’s Flood Reconsidered, Iraq:XXVI-2, 1964, p.66
2 Ibid.
3 Muazzez Ilmiye Cig, Kuran, Incil ve Tevrat’in Sümer’deki Kökleri(The Roots of Qur’an, Old Testament and New Testament in
Sumer), 2.b., Istanbul: Kaynak, 1996
4 Werner Keller, Und die Bibel hat doch recht (The Bible as History;
a Confirmation of the Book of Books), New York: William Mor-
row, 1964, pp. 25-29
5 Max Mallowan, Nuh’s Flood Reconsidered, Iraq:XXVI-2, 1964, p.
70
6 Werner Keller, Und die Bibel hat doch recht (The Bible as History;a Confirmation of the Book of Books), New York: William Mor-
row, 1964, pp. 23-32
7 "Kish", Britannica Micropaedia, Volume 6, p. 893
8 "Shuruppak", Britannica Micropaedia, Volume 10, p. 772
9 Max Mallowan, Early Dynastic Period in Mesapotamia, Cambridge
Ancient History 1-2, Cambridge: 1971, p. 238
10 Joseph Campbell, Eastern Mythology, p. 129
11 Bilim ve Utopya, July 1996, 176. Footnote p. 1912 Everett C. Blake, Anna G. Edmonds, Biblical Sites in Turkey, Is-
tanbul: Redhouse Press, 1977, p. 13
13 Werner Keller Und die Bibel hat doch recht (The Bible as His-
tory; a Confirmation of the Book of Books), New York: William
Morrow, 1964 p. 75-76
14 "Le Monde de la Bible", Archeologie et Histoire, July-August
1993.
15 Werner Keller Und die Bibel hat doch recht (The Bible as His-
tory; a Confirmation of the Book of Books), New York: William
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Morrow, 1964, p. 76
16 Ibid, pp. 73-74
17 Ibid, pp. 75-76
18 G. Ernest Wright, "Bringing Old Testament Times to Life",National Geographic, Vol. 112, December 1957, p. 833
19 Thomas H. Maugh II, "Ubar, Fabled Lost City, Found by LA
Team", The Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1992.
20 Kamal Salibi, A History of Arabia, Caravan Books, 1980
21 Bertram Thomas, Arabia Felix: Across the "Empty Quarter" of
Arabia, New York: Schrieber’s Sons 1932, p. 161
22 Charlene Crabb, "Frankincense", Discover, January 1993
23 Nigel Groom, Frankincense and Myrrh, Longman, 1981, p. 8124 Ibid., p. 72
25 Joachim Chwaszcza, Yemen, 4PA Press, 1992
26 Ibid.
27 Brian Doe, Southern Arabia, Thames and Hudson, 1971, p. 21
28 Ça M’Interesse, January 1993
29 "Hicr", Islam Ansiklopedisi: Islam Alemi, Tarihi, Cografya, Etnog-
rafya ve Bibliyografya Lugati, (Encyclopedia of Islam: Islamic
World, History, Geography, Ethnography, and Bibliography Dic-tionary) Vol. 5/1, p. 475
30 Philip Hitti, A History of the Arabs, London: Macmillan, 1979, p.
37
31 "Thamuds", Britannica Micropaedia, Vol. 11, p. 672
32 Brian Doe, Southern Arabia, Thames and Hudson, 1971, pp. 21-
22
33 Ernst H. Gombrich, Gençler için Kisa Bir Dünya Tarihi, (Trans-
lated into Turkish by Ahmet Mumcu from the German originalscript, Eine Kurze Weltgeschichte Für Junge Leser, Dumont Buch-
verlag, Köln, 1985), Istanbul: Inkilap Publishing House, 1997, p.25
34 Ernst H. Gombrich, The Story of Art, London MCML, The Phaidon
Press Ltd., p. 42
35 Eli Barnavi, Historical Atlas of The Jewish People, London: Hutc-
hinson, 1992, p. 4; "Egypt", Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 6, p. 481
and "The Exodus and Wanderings in Sinai", Vol. 8, p. 575; Le Mon-
de de la Bible, No:83, July-August 1983, p. 50; Le Monde de la
Bible, No:102, January-February 1997, pp. 29-32; Edward F. Wen-
Harun Yahya 148
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te, The Oriental Institute News and Notes, No:144, Winter 1995;
Jacques Legrand, Chronicle of The World, Paris: Longman
Chronicle, SA International Publishing, 1989, p. 68; David Ben
Gurion, A Historical Atlas Of the Jewish People, New York: Wind-fall Book, 1974, p. 32
36 http: / / www2.plaguescape.com / a / plaguescape /
37 "Red Sea", Encyclopedia Judaica, Volume 14, pp.14-15
38 David Ben-Gurion, The Jews in Their Land, New York: A Wind-
fall Book, 1974, pp.32-33
39 "Seba" Islam Ansiklopedisi: Islam Alemi, Tarihi, Cografya, Etnog-
rafya ve Bibliyografya Lugati, (Encyclopedia of Islam: Islamic
World, History, Geography, Ethnography, and Bibliography Dic-tionary) Vol.10, p. 268
40 Hommel, Explorations in Bible Lands, Philadelphia: 1903, p.739
41 "Marib", ‹slam Ansiklopedisi: ‹slam Alemi, Tarihi, Co¤rafya, Et-
no¤rafya ve Bibliyografya Lugat›, Volume 7, p. 323-339.
42 Mawdudi, Tefhimul Kuran, Cilt 4, Istanbul: Insan Yayinlari, p.517.
43 Werner Keller, Und die Bibel hat doch recht (Tbe Bible as His-
tory; a Confirmation of the Book of Books), New York: William
Morrow, 1956, p.207.44 N T ll ’ G id Y 43